The situation
VSP Global operates one of the largest vision care ecosystems in the United States. The passage of the Affordable Care Act introduced a structural change in the industry — making it possible, for the first time, to sell vision insurance directly to consumers.
This created a rare opportunity, but also a high-stakes decision. Leadership needed to determine whether a direct-to-consumer model could be pursued without undermining existing channels, confusing buyers, or weakening trust across a complex healthcare ecosystem.
The hardest decision wasn't how to execute.
It was whether execution
made sense.
What was unclear
As the market shifted, several questions remained unresolved:
- Whether direct-to-consumer purchasing aligned with VSP's long-term role in the vision care ecosystem
- How to define a consumer-facing value proposition without conflicting with employer-sponsored and provider-based models
- How to time a direct-to-consumer entry without signaling channel disruption
- What narrative separation — or continuity — was required between VSP Global and a consumer-facing offering
Without clarity at this level, moving quickly risked creating fragmentation across partners, consumers, and internal teams.
What changed
We worked with leadership to test its assumptions about buyer behavior, channel dynamics and where the category was heading. Rather than starting with a campaign, the work focused on defining:
- The strategic role VSP Direct should play within the broader vision care landscape
- A defensible narrative explaining why direct-to-consumer mattered now — and why VSP was positioned to lead
- Clear guardrails for messaging, channel interaction, and future expansion
This gave leadership one shared view of how VSP Direct should enter the market — before execution began.
How RŌG Health was involved
We led the positioning and the case for the new offer, so the work followed the strategy, not the other way around.
As that strategy settled, we carried it into the market-facing work at key touchpoints, holding it to the original framework.
The engagement became an ongoing partnership as VSP Direct grew, through a category shift and into a lasting market presence.
Resulting direction
With a clear strategic foundation in place, VSP Direct entered the market with confidence — introducing a direct-to-consumer model that felt deliberate, credible, and aligned with broader industry dynamics.
The work followed the strategy, so leadership could move quickly at a moment of regulatory change without unsettling existing relationships.
The outcome wasn't a launch.
It was clarity leadership could operate from.
Three ways we help.
Work like this starts one of three ways:
Book a 30-minute call.
Tell us what you're working on and what's coming next. We'll tell you what we see and where we'd start. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so and point you to someone who is.
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