PPP moves into personal healthcare

Healthcare group Private Patients Plan is to launch a 30m marketing campaign this week. It is changing its name to PPP healthcare and shifting its focus from insurance to personal healthcare.

The move puts it in direct competition with market leader Bupa and strengthens its position as number two in the 2bn private medical insurance market. It also pre-empts Legal & General’s launch into the market early next year.

The PPP group will consist of three PPP branded divisions: the insurance division, long-term care and nursing centre businesses and its dental care division, Denplan. They will come under the remit of marketing director Andy Brown.

PPP’s relaunch is the brainchild of group chief executive Peter Owen, who joined the company from the marketing department of BA in August last year. He has made sweeping changes. These include management cuts, focusing on customer service and bringing in Brown from RAC as marketing director in February.

The 20m ad campaign will also promote a new service called the PPP Healthline. This has been billed as “The world’s biggest telephone-based, 24-hour health and medical information service”.

A new ad campaign through M&C Saatchi breaks on October 17.