More than 60% of Minnesotans are overweight or obese. For Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, we were charged to inspire people to move more and eat healthier, a familiar challenge in the category. TV spots had helped create awareness for the initiative in the past, but no real action or engagement. In short, the traditional approach wasn’t working. We needed an idea that would inspire, motivate, and, most importantly, create real results. We started with a simple question: How can we show people that small changes in diet and exercise can make a big difference? Moreover, we wanted to illustrate how support can lead to real results.

We found our answer in The Human Doing. One man living in a glass apartment at Mall of America for a month. His mission? Show the world how simple exercises and small changes in diet can improve overall health. The community supported his efforts through multiple media channels. The Human Doing, a relatable overweight man named Scott, solicited support and encouragement in person at his apartment and online. His Facebook page and Twitter account opened lines of real-time communication with his supporters. Human Doing fans voted for the “do” activities they wanted him to “do” via text voting from the monitors at his glass apartment, Facebook, Twitter and the Blue Cross Blue Shield website. His blog revealed his daily thoughts and live webcams allowed people to watch his every move.

The campaign was successful in more ways than one. In just 6 days, we engaged more people than a month of TV ads. Over a 30-day period, The Human Doing had 2 million social media impressions and received 143,000 votes of public support. On Facebook, he received more than 1.6 million post views and 8,000 comments on his posts. The Human Doing also posted some impressive health numbers. He lost 29 lbs., lowered his BMI from 37 to 32, and his cholesterol dropped 110 points. In just 30 days with simple exercises and small diet changes.