Paul Bunyan, Babe new faces of MNsure

Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe, will be the faces of the campaign to promote MNsure, Minnesota's new online marketplace for health insurance.
MPR Photo/Rupa Shenoy

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox will be the faces of MNsure, Minnesota's new online health insurance marketplace.

The state is contracting with BBDO Proximity Minneapolis for the website's roughly $9 million marketing campaign. At the campaign's launch Sunday, BBDO creative director Brian Kroening said he wanted the advertising to be easy to understand, local, and upbeat.

"Because this is in fact great news for those that are uninsured. We liked Paul and Babe because everybody seems to recognize them. They were easy to work with. We were looking for what was unique to Minnesota. The ball of twine's agent was harder," Kroening said.

Billboards with Bunyan and Babe's images go up Monday, along with MNsure advertising on buses and in skyways and newspapers. The campaign's motto will be "The Land of 10,000 Reasons to get Health Insurance."

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MNsure goes live Oct. 1 with policies that would take effect in January.

MNsure also released this marketing video Sunday.