Refining the brand tone for
Oscar Primary Care

Solving a creative challenge our way

Draw inspiration from the source
Having great insights isn’t enough to develop the right content, you also need to know your offering inside out. We got there by shadowing real Oscar Primary Care visits to understand every detail from patient intake to how providers communicate during appointments. This process inspired us to create a series of informational, bite-sized videos mirroring the look and feel of those calls and featuring our real team. Yes and yes!

Develop a content outline, scripts and don’t forget storyboards!
After taking a close look at the research, we streamlined and divided the information so our members wouldn’t be overwhelmed by a single, long video. This also gives them flexibility to find specific answers or learn something they may not expect — like using primary care for mental health support. We landed on seven video topics that covered the gamut of their concerns and what Oscar Primary Care can do:

Using these as our guide, we collaborated with the clinical team to write conversational scripts true to their experience. We were free to tweak scripts on set when something didn’t feel right, but the originals helped us storyboard and work with director Jonathan Chu to achieve our vision.

Make it bilingual
A large portion of our members prefer Spanish content, so making a thoughtful bilingual series was a priority. We approached these videos with the same level of nuance in Spanish as in English, writing scripts that would capture our providers’ warm tone. That way, when members are looking for answers, they have a reliable resource in their language that makes them feel as understood as they do during visits with our bilingual team.

Bringing it all together

Cast your own people
Relying on actors to tell this particular story didn’t feel right because our medical teams are the true MPVs of Oscar Primary Care. So, we invited providers and medical coordinators to star in the videos and speak directly to members in front of a camera — just like they do every day.

Set the right scene
After finding our talent, we transformed our Oscar headquarters in New York City into multiple home offices, curating spaces that felt like the antithesis of cold and clinical. Everything served a purpose: from the custom background posters, to the soothing wall colors, to the plants, to the way pens were slightly adjusted across frames to establish natural imperfection. We opted for warm tones and natural textures to elicit comfort, while adding contrast to ensure balance in every frame. Even the posters were a nod to a prior project we did for Stress Awareness Month. Including those motifs felt like a small, but powerful opportunity for brand continuity and to create calm.

Design accessible captions
Accessibility is a big deal to us. We tested type sizes and color contrasting until we landed on a caption design that stacked up to our legibility standards using our Lettera font. Plus, captions make it easy for people to watch the videos on the go, or sans sound.

Choose unexpected music
Music serves as the first impression in these videos so it had to be right. Anything too upbeat played like an annoying pharma commercial (you know, the ones with a million negative side effects). Too slow or emotional sent the wrong message, too. Our tracks found the balance we were looking for — not a hero’s journey or a dance party, but somewhere in between.

Build a home for your amazing content
We built a landing page to create a cohesive brand experience and give our audience everything they need in one place. Our idea is to take people on a journey by welcoming them with the Start with Oscar Primary Care video and as they scroll, they learn specifics about how it all works. And we made one en Español, too.

Learn from it all
Ultimately, evolving the brand tone for Oscar Primary Care was an exercise in extending what Oscar stands for as a brand. When our members have questions, we’re here to answer them with clarity and kindness. We are here to break things down in a transparent way that makes it easier to navigate the healthcare system. Creating something that takes into account their real feelings and concerns remains our guiding principle in any project. It’s truly our pleasure — not just our job. Happy viewing!

Oscar Team: Craig Damrauer, Libby Denault, Valentina España, Dave Forman, Sabine Fryd, Cat Lee, Topher Lorette, Caroline Muggia, Dorian Walker.

^{* For 2023, Oscar Primary Care is available in TX (excluding Secure plans), NY (excluding Standard Silver, Standard Bronze, and Secure plans), FL, Palm Beach, Miami Dade, and Broward (excluding HSA and Secure plans), AZ (excluding HSA and Secure plans), GA (excluding HSA and Secure plans)  Oscar Primary Care providers are employed by Oscar Medical Group, not Oscar Insurance Company or its insurance plan affiliates. Oscar Primary Care is only available to members 18 years of age and older. Prescriptions, visits and services may be limited at the provider's discretion and Oscar Primary Care is not intended to be used in conjunction with another primary care consultation. Oscar Care in-person visits in conjunction with your virtual visit may have a copayment. Due to medical licensing laws, you must be in your home state at the time of your virtual visit.}