Insurance Companies Deliver Premium Ad Campaigns

Few things in life are more boring than insurance. It’s not very much fun to talk about, it’s no fun to purchase, and it’s definitely not fun when you need to chase down a claim. You know what is fun? Insurance company ads. And why is that? Why does such a stodgy industry have such a long, rich history of great advertising? Probably because few things in the world are more boring than insurance…

Mutual of Oma-who?

As a kid growing up in the 70s, they’d already hooked me, and I didn’t even know it. I’m talking about Wild Kingdom or, as I knew it, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. I had no idea who or what Mutual of Omaha was, but I did know they were responsible for bringing television goodness into my house every Sunday. Their in-show company plugs were cheesy, but memorable: “Just as a mother bear protects her cubs, you can protect your kids with a policy from Mutual of Omaha.” Barf.

So would all those fond memories lead me to buy a MoA policy today? Nope. You know what, though? I still remember the show, I still remember the presenting sponsor, and I can still hum that damn theme song of theirs. “Mutual of Omaha is people you can count on when the going's tough.” Seared. Seared into my brain.

Subtlety Sells

It’s amazing how much insurance-related advertising I still recall from my childhood. Back then the ads weren’t overly funny; the approach was more calming, comfortable, and subtle. Even as a kid I knew you were in “good hands” with Allstate (a slogan that’s lived for over 50 years, thanks to the Leo Burnett company), and State Farm has always been “like a good neighbor” to me.

I also knew Northwestern Mutual was “the quiet company.” Others did, too. According to The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising, some people actually made their checks out to the “The Quiet Company.”

Travelers Insurance also nailed subtle with their iconic red umbrella, which stood out to me as a safe harbor and a glimmer of color in a sea of gray skies. Great ads.

The Peanuts Policy

Moving into the 80s, Metropolitan Life struck gold. With the help of Young & Rubicam, MetLife brought the Peanuts cartoon family into my living room, something that usually happened only around the holidays. The ads were friendly and fun, and helped humanize a stodgy company. Now over 30 years old, the campaign remains a vital part of MetLife’s brand.

Consider the following, from Metropolitan’s Peanuts brand guidelines.

“Since 1985 Snoopy has served as an ambassador for MetLife, enhancing the warm, approachable quality that is important to the MetLife brand. …Together Snoopy and the PEANUTS gang help differentiate us from other companies.”

MetLife also provides guidance on when not to use the Peanuts gang. “Characters should not be associated with gambling or any TV show. Do not depict the characters in a dangerous situation that could result in death.” And my favorite, “Do not use Snoopy to represent a MetLife employee or agent.” Because that would be bad…

A Premium on Funny

Today, subtlety still exists, but the emphasis is more on funny (if not downright weird).

Farmers has its University of Farmers campaign, aimed at educating consumers and prospective agents on the ins and outs of the business. Each ad ends, of course, with the maddeningly hummable “we are Farmers, ba ba dum da dum dum dum.”

Nationwide is on your side with spokesman Peyton Manning, a self-deprecating everyman who fumbles with in-car GPS and finds simple pleasure in a zesty chicken sandwich.

Allstate’s Mayhem character resonates with me, primarily because the ads are sometimes downright dark (but still funny and effective).

The granddaddy of them has to be GEICO, though, who absolutely slays the ad scene. The iconic gecko has been with us since 1999, the brainchild of The Martin Agency. Since then we’ve had the cavemen (which after time became very unfunny and even spanned a very unfunny sitcom), Maxwell the fun-loving pig, the “did you know” campaign, the “it’s what you do” campaign—the list goes on and on. Lately they’ve been killing it with their “Brocabulary” spots and the why-didn’t-I-think-of-that, freeze-frame preroll ads. It’s been an amazing run

Lessons in Liability

Of course not all campaigns end well. Or start well.   

Words cannot describe the horror that is The General’stelevision ads. Can you imagine casting your lot with these guys? When you call to file a claim, is there a guy on the other end with a tin can and a string?

Esurance had a good thing going with Erin, the pink-haired cartoon secret agent. That is until the internet got a hold of her. Erin’s “fans” took the company mascot and ran with her, depicting her in all sorts of lurid poses and X-rated situations. The company finally had enough andcut ties with her around 2010.

And then there’s AFLAC. For about 10 years, comedian Gilbert Gottfried voiced the company’s white duck mascot. And it worked. Created in 2000 by Kaplan Thaler Group, the duck was responsible for a 71-percent jump in name recognition, according to The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising. That’s up from just 2 percent a decade earlier. Then came the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Gottfried, never one to pass up an opportunity for a joke, sent out some poorly timed and extremely unfunny tweets, and was summarily dismissed. Fun fact: Japan accounts for 75 percent of AFLAC’s business…

Is This Going Somewhere?

Yes, yes it is. The insurance ad-spend juggernaut shows absolutely no signs of slowing. According to Bloomberg, GEICO spent nearly a billion dollars on advertising in 2013. And it worked. The following year GEICO’s big spend helped push company premiums up over 11 percent and vaulted it into the number-two spot, just behind State Farm. According to the same source, ad spends of more than $600 million each gave State Farm a 5-percent increase in premiums, while Progressive notched over 6-percent growth. Allstate racked up more than $650 million in ads and saw a 3.5-percent hike in new premiums.

It even works for the little guy. Check out Oscar Health Insurance, a relative newcomer to the New York insurance scene. According to the New York Post, the upstart company known for its “quirky ads and slick mobile app” more than doubled enrollment in just eight months. Not too shabby.

My Take

I love (most) of these ads. Peyton always makes me chuckle, GEICO always surprises, and Mutual of Omaha will always make me glow with nostalgia. Still, for most consumers the buying decision will likely come down to price, service, and convenience. Wife and I recently had to switch insurers, and it was GEICO that made the cut.

Was it Maxwell the pig that swayed us? Was it the all-too-true ad about mom, who always calls at the worst time? Nope.

It was the fact that in just 15 minutes (more like 45) we saved 15 percent (more like 50) on our car insurance. Plus their mobile app rocks. Still, without those ads, I likely never would have heard about the Government Employees Insurance Company.

So keep on truckin’, insurance companies. You’ve given us a lifetime of jingles, Peanuts, smiles, and savings.