Dental insurance provider United Concordia is engaging consumers and promoting better dental oral hygiene with a mobile social campaign that asks consumers to vote for one of three charities.

The Champions for Wellness campaign is running through Nov. 30 and will end with a total of $25,000 awarded to three charities: American Diabetes Association, March of Dimes and Arthritis Foundation. Unite Concordia worked with ePrize to power the campaign, which is accessible via desktop and mobile.

?The Champions for Wellness campaign is targeting socially-active and highly-engaged consumers who are likely to support a program that helps charities,? said Sara Kowal, vice president of innovation at ePrize, Pleasant Ridge, MI.

?The primary goal is to explain the connection between oral health and overall wellness,? she said. ?United Concordia is leveraging mobile and social channels to accomplish this.

?Mobile plays an integral role in the campaign as the entire user journey is optimized for mobile. United Concordia recognizes the value of using mobile as a way to engage consumers and educate them about their health options.?

Dental health
Besides for donating money to the charities, United Concordia hopes to educate consumers about the connection between oral and overall wellness.

When consumers vote for a charity, they will be provided with educational information about the subject.

To vote. consumers must first "Like" United Concordia on Facebook and then select one of the three charities. They can vote once daily.

Consumers can vote through a microsite, mobile-optimized site and social channels. Consumers can also scan a QR code on the desktop site to access the mobile site.

Additionally, they can share the program via Facebook, Twitter and email.

During the campaign, there will be a running tally of votes to show which charity is in the lead.

At the end of the program, the winning charity will receive $20,000, second place will receive $3,000 and third will receive $2,000.

Mobile good
A number of organizations have used mobile and social to raise awareness and funds for good causes.

For example, Johnson & Johnson recently ran a campaign that asked consumers to take a selfie of their eye and post it within an app to raise awareness of the importance of eye exams and raise money for nonprofit Sight for Kids (see story).

Similarly, Google launched an Android app that lets consumers donate $1 a day to a charity project of their choice (see story).

?Health and dental insurance brands have the same desire to connect, engage and build relationships with their customers as any other brand, if not more so, because of the educational opportunity,? Ms. Kowal said.

?As mobile continues to become a primary way for digitally-savvy consumers to access the Internet, it is imperative for health insurance brands to use this channel as a key part of their overall engagement strategy,? she said.

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York