Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota launched an online health and wellness competition with teams from large local employers including General Mills, Target, BCBS Minnesota and UnitedHealth Group.  Employees are battling in three contests; to lose weight, be more active and eat healthier. Weight loss is center stage. In four weeks since the Challenge started, 10,000 employees have lost over 20,000 pounds.

Powering the Challenge

RedBrick Health’s Platform enables companies and their employees to engage in this competition through social networking, messaging, tracking and monitoring capabilities. As a first step, employees use their online tools to build their teams. Each employee contributes to his team by earning points for losing weight, engaging in physical activity (minutes) and following nutritional guidelines. Most employees recorded their results online. Although they can also enter their weight through their mobile phone. Employees closely watch the “leader board” on CompeteforHealth.org to monitor their progress.

As the Challenge heats up, employees turn their attention to their own physical activity and dietary decisions and post messages for their social network of team and company participants. In fact, there are thousands of posts already shared between teammates. The types of messages fall into seven different categories: 

 1. Goal Setting - I plan to lose three pounds to get to my ideal BMI. I will not eat desserts at the wedding this weekend. I am going to exercise five times a week.

2.  Motivating - You can do it! Our Team is going to rock!

3.  Praising - Congratulations on finishing the 5K! I knew you could make it the entire conference without eating a cookie! Thanks for bringing us all a healthy lunch!

4.  Reminding - Don't forget to track your weight! Remember to join our team at the walking path this afternoon. Sign up for our Team by Monday!

5.  Inviting - Who wants to join a softball team? Anyone want to sign-up for the half-marathon? Who wants to join me in losing five pounds over the next month?

6.  Sharing (with links provided)- Have you seen these core exercises? Take a look at this marathon website. Try this new low fat dessert recipe.

7.  Slipping-up - I fell off the wagon this weekend and ate poorly... I'll turn it around this week. I skipped exercising the past few days...I plan to restart tomorrow...sorry team.

There are several themes running through these team messages of camaraderie,  accountability and support.

Extra Push from Multi-Company Challenges

“Although companies find different motivations for their specific populations, we do believe the multi-company competition is generating even greater engagement than a single company competition”, explains Eric Zimmerman, Chief Marketing Officer at RedBrick Health. “The differentiator is the additional leadership push we’re seeing in the multi-company competition. There’s a great deal of company pride at stake, especially when you have a public leader board posting your organization's progress versus your peers.”

Hear more about these social competitions taking place across and within employer organizations from Eric Zimmerman at the Healthcare Unbound Conference on my panel New Models for Leveraging Social Media for Consumer Engagement.

Whether companies are launching “challenges” or online tools for healthy change, they are putting rewards in place for maximum response. For example, they are offering consumers rewards for participating in a smoking cessation or a weight loss program as well as winning the team competition for the most steps. With the increase in funding for prevention and wellness, rewards programs are getting more attention. 

"Last week, I was awarded a wellness day off and I feel like a new person!"

“The rewards program has helped me. I am more aware of getting the steps that I need to make to my goal each day.”

“My company started awarding points to get us to be healthier. The program started off with lots of excitement but has kind of fizzled out.”

“Reward  Me” Opportunity:   Provide currency of value (e.g. money, time off)  in exchange for desired behaviors while keeping the rewards dynamic, tiered (e.g. higher level for achieving stretch goals) and personalized to the individual.

Engagement in Action:

• Employers such as REI and Bridgepoint Education are using Limeade to engage and empower their employees. With the Limeade platform, employers enable their employees decide what they want to do to earn points for rewards. With Limeade’s mobile application, employees can even plan, track and monitor their goals while on the go. In addition to their own activities, employees may choose to participate in challenges from their employer or from others in the Limeade online community such as participating in an online coaching session, attending an onsite seminar or completing the challenge activity. For example, users challenge others to train for and complete local races, lose pounds, not drink for a month, or even "get to work without your car the most times this quarter". Employers challenge employees to "Exercise 30 minutes, 6 days a week" to "Contribute (your time or money) to a charity of your choice this month", to "do something for YOU in the next two weeks", or even "post an essay about how you've been inspired to change your life".  Rewards typically fall into two categories; 1) an incentive benefit related to health care -- lower premiums, deductibles or access to a superior plan, or 2) other stuff their specific employees value -- vacation time, ski lift tickets, or dinner with the CEO.  
• According to Forbes, Ochsner Health Systems and many other employers have used the Virgin HealthMiles  platform with the “Pay for Prevention” program to reward employees for healthy behaviors. Points are given for the measurement of vitals and tracking of activity.  Employers are testing different rewards such as lower premiums, gift cards and days off and the reward value can range up to $2,500 per year. In addition to challenges from a specific employer, Virgin also runs competitions across the employers for all participants in their network. For the selected challenge activity, the participant wins entries into a lottery for travel such as a trip to Sir Richard’s Private Island in the Caribbean.

Employers need to be creative in how they are packaging, positioning and promoting their rewards program.  The program participants are in the best position to advise their employer on suggested rewards, reward structure and rewarded behaviors. Think about how the rewards program may differ for employees working in a call center or retail store compared with those employed by a financial services firm.

The biggest challenge for sustaining participation is to determine ways to reward consumers for increasing the time and frequency on activities they enjoy doing (e.g. swimming, biking) and for making healthy decisions about their diet whether they are in a supermarket or restaurant.

Health related competitions are everywhere. Not just on TV with the Biggest Loser but much closer to home. We are being challenged by our co-workers, colleagues and our community. These challenges are being tied into online games, social media, mobile and wireless tracking devices.  Since challenges leverage relationships, they are extremely viral and successfully generating participation. Think about how much likely you are to respond when a challenge is sent by your friend or     co- worker.

  “Debbie- You will be joining your GiantSteps team for a walk at noon.”

  “Debbie- Your team is 950 steps beyond for the week.”

  “David has challenged you to lose 5 lbs in the next 60 days.”

“Challenge Me” Opportunity:  Enable consumers to initiate and participate in an individual or group competition as well as influence others throughout the challenge that is designed to encourage healthy behavior.

Engagement in Action:

• Cleveland Clinic launched the Shape Up The Nation Program to their employees. Employers continue to play a role in motivating their employees to become more healthy and are rolling out programs with a competition component. With Shape Up The Nation, Cleveland Clinic goes further by measuring success based on weight loss, BMI as well as activity (number of steps). In addition to strong participation, Cleveland Clinic is experiencing high satisfaction rates for the program and has rolled out several of these challenges throughout the year. 
• Livestrong has devised the Dare Program which gives people the option of taking or giving a dare such as “Dare to get more sleep”. There is also a companion “Dare to get more sleep” community where members share experiences as well as post links to resources (e.g. articles, videos) on secrets for a better night sleep.
• Contagion Health's Get Up and Move is a "social game" where challenges are launched by friends and family to motivate healthy activity. For example,  'I will take the stairs this week' if 'you will walk to Starbucks'. Unlike many of the 6-8 week challenges, these mini-challenges result in quick successes and can be fun. Those of us that are competitive can use this tool to initiate creative challenges with close friends. And don't be surprised if your friend sends a follow up challenge back your way.

Most “challenges”  are physical competitions which is valuable to get consumers moving. Think about how challenges can also be utilized to test for knowledge, furthering the “teach me” opportunity. Are you smarter than your co-worker?