Americans are particularly reluctant to go to the doctor for an annual check-up. But According to the Center for Disease Control, preventive care visits could save an estimated 100,000 lives per year. Which means that getting people to go in for their annual check-up isn’t just life-changing. It’s life-saving.

The Federal Trade Commission requires healthcare ads using statistics, quotes or data to demonstrate claims are verifiable, and must include disclosure of sources. The TV Doctors campaign sourced Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data to validate claims that preventive care can help save up to 100,000 lives per year.

Although Season One of the TV Doctors of America helped increase check-ups, too many Americans were still putting off going to see a real doctor. If we were serious about saving lives, we needed to drive home the urgency of getting an annual check-up. So, we did what every TV show does when entering its second season. We added more drama. After all, no one knows more about drama than a TV Doctor, but they also know you can avoid drama by getting your annual checkup. Cigna and The TV Doctors of America are back for Season Two: More Drama. More Check-ups.

To debut Season Two with maximum dramatic effect, we launched with TV on NFL Sunday Night Football and an exclusive interview on E!. Simultaneously, the celebrity ensemble released our launch video on their social media accounts, instantly reaching their millions of followers.

Next, we brought our TV Doctors from the small screen to the “smaller screen”, where they performed fake check-ups on Instagram Stories and encouraged fans to book real check-ups.

We sustained excitement for the campaign through strategically released social videos—each playing up the most dramatic TV medical tropes. And in Season Two, anyone who might forget to schedule their check-up could easily page one of the TV Docs to set-up a check-up the reminder.

All efforts drove to a microsite built for customers and non-customers alike that provides tools to prepare for the check-up and information about key health numbers, plus interviews with our TV Docs.

We used the success of Season One as the benchmark for Season Two. At the end of the first year’s campaign, the TV Doctors reached 1.07 billion earned impressions. After one month, Season Two exceeded that goal by 26% with 1.35 billion earned impressions. After 7 months, we have exceeded that goal by 84% at 1.9 billion earned impressions.

Across all channels and media, Season One achieved over 6 billion total impressions. To date, Season Two of TV Doctors of America has 11.4 billion total impressions…and counting.

In addition to being widely seen, Season Two content was also highly enjoyed. Sentiment around the campaign was 93% positive at launch – an all-time high for any Cigna campaign. The second season had an immediate effect on Cigna, as positive sentiment around the brand overall increased by 15% to 35%, compared to an average of 9% positive sentiment for our competitors.

For Season Two of The TV Doctors of America, we set out to get even more people to go in for their annual check-up. And we did so by utilizing even more mediums. The Season Two campaign combined television, online, social, PR, OOH and non-traditional extensions – with ideas that were tailored to the specific opportunities of each medium. But no matter the platform, the TV Doctors’ message was always the same: Go see a real doctor for your annual check-up. It could save your life.

Cigna strives to be a partner that champions wellness not just on behalf of its customers, but on behalf of all Americans. Staying well takes more than a nudge, and in Season One, we assembled a strategic, universally recognized team with the power to reach, engage, and drive check-ups.

For Season Two, we set out to expand last year’s reach to target even more everyday Americans with our same universal message. To successfully build upon our existing audience, we conducted primary research to identify new TV Doctors to add to our cast and created content for new channels. Through a clear understanding of their social reach, connections, and pop culture clout, we not only aggregated the right combination of influence, but also used it to underpin our communications plan.

Americans do not particularly like going to the doctor and only seek preventive care at half the recommended rate. But according to the CDC, 100,000 lives could be saved if everyone just went as advised.

Season One of the TV Doctors of America helped inspire Americans to finally start taking control of their health. By assembling a cross-generational cast of celebrity TV doctors, the campaign cut through traditional healthcare communication and helped increase check-ups by 5.7% nation-wide one month after launch. But despite the campaign’s success, many Americans were still putting off getting their annual check-up. To save even more lives than last year, we needed to reach more people, in even more places. And we needed to emphasize that getting your annual check-up is actually an urgent matter. After all, it could save your life.