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Updated on Sept. 4

Catchy jingles? Splashy videos? Multi-million-dollar public education campaigns?

For the 16 states and the District of Columbia that have to run their own online health insurance marketplaces, these are among the tools being used to make sure residents know the exchanges will be open for business Oct. 1. (Other states will either operate exchanges in partnership with the federal government, or will turn the task completely over to it.)  

These marketplaces, which were created as part of the health law, are key to the overhaul’s goal of expanding coverage to millions of uninsured people. But for that to happen, those same people have to use them. That’s why states are stepping up to the plate to sell the concept. Here’s an alphabetical list of state exchanges and a sampling of their strategies, ranging from clever advertising to unique health exchange names: 

	will  through April 2015 and has hired two PR firms, Weber Shandwick and Ogilvy, according to  by the San Francisco Business Times. Here is  on the advertisements.
	is following the example of Massachusetts in 2007 by during the Colorado Rockies baseball games. Similarly, the Department of Health and Human Services featured Washington Nationals’ presidential mascot Teddy Roosevelt in  during HHS Night at the park.
	(Connecticut) is opening brick-and-mortar stores in malls and urban areas to target those most in need of health insurance. This is the only state opening storefronts, according to  in the Hartford Courant though some insurers are also using this .
	In late September,  is  in person and online to get District-based insurance brokers up to speed on the marketplace. The D.C. Health Benefit Exchange Authority is also  to speak with residents directly.
	The  is partnering with 34 nonprofit community health organizations statewide for education and outreach, according to .
	With key parts of the health law scheduled to take effect in less than six weeks, the state  the name of its online marketplace — .
	, the Kentucky marketplace, will use an  to explain the state’s health care options and used the Kentucky state fair as a .
	The  explains its health exchange with a . (Washington state has a similar video on its exchange website.) Exchange officials unveiled  Sept. 4. The Baltimore Ravens will include the health insurance spots on their Gameday TV show as well as the team’s Web site and Facebook page.
	In 2007, as part of its landmark state health reform law,  teamed up with the Boston Red Sox, running advertisements in between innings. It now serves as a model for many marketing approaches in other states. Here’s an .
	, Minnesota’s exchange, has enlisted two well-known icons, , to help spread the word about the insurance marketplace. In a series of print, radio and TV advertisements, the characters find themselves in precarious situations that require health coverage.
	is taking a hands-on community approach to advertising its exchange by showing real-life anecdotes of the uninsured in ads and going door-to-door, the Associated Press .
	awarded a  two months before the marketplace opens for business. Among other strategies, the state will provide  to federally recognized Native American tribes, including a specific website for this population in the state.
	The  will roll out its advertising right before enrollment begins Oct. 1, the , though one ad was posted to YouTube when the marketplace’s .
	is using TV ads, notably  catchy tune, to advertise the insurance marketplace by singing about living long in Oregon. A set of ads — “,” “” and “” — were rolled out Aug. 26 to explain elements of the state’s exchange.
	(Rhode Island), with the tag line “Your Health, Your Way,” will use this  to show the health insurance marketplace on a personal level.
	has created a customized health exchange experience, according to the . Here’s their first .
	In Washington state, the  is considering unconventional methods such as printing ads on prescription drug bags and advertising on the Pandora Internet radio site,  reports.