How a Domain Consolidation Strategy Won Board Approval from 39 Independent Delta Dental CEOs
Strategically align member companies behind a domain consolidation strategy to capture market leadership.
THE CLIENT – Delta Dental
Delta Dental is the largest dental insurance provider in the nation, comprising a network of 39 independent companies, offering coverage to over 85 million people.
Our Results
7M
Estimated impressions lost as result of existing domain structure
39
Member companies required for buy-in of the strategy
150
Size of consumer panel used to develop findings
Challenge
Align the competing interests of a board to gain approval of a domain strategy that benefits the entire system.
With a board comprised of 39 CEOs governing independent regional organizations, approval required navigating complex politics.
Delta Dental’s decentralized digital presence confused customers, limited visibility, and bred internal competition – 50% of their visitors landed on the wrong site.
Convincing these leaders to adopt a consolidated domain strategy demanded articulating shared gains in visibility, traffic and user experience.
Approach
Blend our expertise with deep data analysis and research alongside high stakes stakeholder navigation to reach a unified vision.
Achieving consensus from competing interests demanded diplomacy and the ability to convey the immense opportunity in consolidation. Wheelhouse DMG® blended data mining, expansive consumer insights via 150-person panel, and artful political navigation.
Delta’s decentralized presence confused customers, limited visibility and bred internal conflict – we quantified 7.6 million missed annual impressions.
Acting as trusted advisors, our rigorous yet visionary approach won board approval for realigning behind a singular “front door”. By leaning into our experience, analysis and diplomacy, we shepherded fractioned constituents to embrace unification.
Outcomes
With board approval of the domain strategy secured, association leadership could begin the process of aligning the system.
After extensive consumer research, data analysis, and navigating the varying interests of 39 independent CEOs, we helped leadership gain board approval of our proposed consolidation strategy dubbed “the front door”. This roadmap charts bringing the fragmented regionalized digital entities under one Delta Dental visual identity and shared user experience.
