I was on my exercise bike this morning reading Business Week when I came across an article on health care insurers that are using the Internet to help their patients stay healthy. With growing double-digit health care costs and little apparent brand differentiation beyond cost, some health care providers have moved into the right direction.

The article cites the offerings of Aetna, United health Group and WellPoint. Unlike BW, which was given passwords to enter the customer portals, I could not sample the wares. However, BW got full� access from Aetna and the article reports that after filling out a five-minute heath assessment questionnaire, Aetna then sent four pages of additional health questions. The result was that the Aetna customer received a health evaluation, their own customized health portal and links to sub-sites related to their profile and potential problems.

We have four clients in the health care industry including two health care insurers. Neither currently provides this level of service although I suspect that this personalized service will become an industry-wide tactic. It works on so many levels. It delivers useful personalized information, it creates a tighter bond between the patient and the insurer, it creates Delighted Customers and it is competitive.

While this article is about health care, it does point out something we have known for a long time. The internet can create a very strong bond between brands and their customers. Virtually every business can do this. I just bought a BMW and I have a special BMW owners section just for me and my car. Ditto for my casino client where I am a member of their players club. Any reason that other companies outside of health, gaming and automotive couldn’t do this? Of course not. It all comes down to asking if you really want to create a differentiated brand and, as important, a strong relationship with your customers. The Internet is the tool to use – not a “brochure” Web site but a site that actually builds a connection. The tools and programmers exist to help you