How Blue Cross of Kansas Unifies Marketing and CX to Drive Growth
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) proved that straightforward accountability accelerates success. Serving over one million members, the health plan found its competitive edge by unifying its leadership vision: appointing Michael Gerrish as the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer.
The strategic move created total accountability, eliminating friction and driving significant growth. As Michael stated: “I not only get to promise what we are from a marketing point of view, but I also have the responsibility to deliver on it.”
This integrated approach delivered impressive financial results: $120 million in new annual revenue, conversion rates soaring from 50% to 70%, and an industry-leading 93% customer retention rate.
Michael detailed this successful model on this week's The Modern Customer podcast, showcasing a strategy for sustained growth.
Key Insights From Our Conversation:
Tune in now to get the proven strategy for accelerating growth by aligning your Marketing and Experience functions.
Stream now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Blake Morgan was called “The Queen of CX” by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Don't miss her new book, "The Eight Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership." To learn more visit www.8CXLaws.com.
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Insightful as always sir Michael Gerrish. The ‘Insights to Action’ model, and the role of AI in simplifying customer communication were spot-on. You always tell the story that others miss.🔥
Blake Morgan Love this CMXO model. When brand promise, journey design, and frontline reality sit under one roof, you can actually close the loop from insight → action → ROI. Healthcare is messy; a unified owner for experience + growth feels like the only way to keep it honest. 🎧 #CX #Healthcare #CustomerExperience #AI
Passion for customers, love it! Listening to you is always energizing and inspiring Mike!
Love the intent. And I’ve tried to drive similar alignment. But in reality, CX owns trust and retention, while marketing is still rewarded for reach and acquisition. That gap breaks a lot of well-meaning “unification” efforts. Curious how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas tackled incentive alignment. That’s the real unlock.
That crossover between marketing and experience is where real impact lives. Super impressive results from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas - shows how powerful it is when a brand promise aligns with execution. Going to check this out. 👌