Insurance Marketing
Focus on the Family
Insurance marketers eye addressable television, BB&T rebrands its retail broker.
Private life insurer Securian Financial has launched a new brand identity and its first national advertising campaign focused on the “family investor.” The idea came about after months of research to better understand the mindsets of customers who prioritize their time, money and emotional energy in family.
The campaign includes a new brand promise, identity system and logo. The company selected green as its brand color because it stands out from the predominantly blue “sea of sameness” in the financial services industry, said Ann McGarry, vice president of enterprise marketing and branding at Securian Financial. “Green also represents growth, tranquility and, quite frankly, money,” she said.
Securian Financial is running ads nationally on “Good Morning America” and a number of cable channels. It’s also running the ads in heavier rotations in four local markets: Chicago, Denver, Houston and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The new brand will allow distributors to spend less time explaining who the company is and more time educating customers about its financial services solutions.
Targeted Approach
Addressable TV is on the rise. Today, addressable TV is seen in more than 40% of U.S. households, according to Video Advertising Bureau’s Say Yes to Addressability: A Guide to Precise TV Targeting report. By 2020, household penetration could rise to 74% of TV homes.
The advertising approach is based on audience and demographic targeting rather than specific networks or programs. Targeting includes purchase history, behavioral data and subscriber demographics. Advertisers deliver different ads to different audiences regardless of the programs they’re watching.
Addressable TV ad spend is expected to top $2.2 billion this year—a 443% climb between 2015 and 2018 from $890 million in 2016, according to the report.
Sixty percent of advertiser respondents in the report said they’re using addressable TV or plan to run addressable ads within the next year. More than 70% of advertisers are willing to pay higher cost-per-thousand impressions, relative to linear TV, for the precision of addressable TV’s targeting across live and on-demand TV, according to the report.
Cable and satellite operators have fostered the addressable TV movement by improving their ability to deliver addressable ads. About 50 million set-top boxes are now enabled for addressable campaigns, according to reports.
Addressable TV allows marketers to reach more specific audiences with deeper insights and improved creative flexibility. However, some advertisers are skeptical about switching from traditional ad buys to personalized advertising.
Today, more than 74 million households have the requisite technology needed to be targeted on a one-to-one level, according to reports.
Name Game
BB&T Insurance Holdings Inc. has rebranded its insurance services retail broker with a new name from an affiliate company.
BB&T Insurance Services began doing business on June 25 as McGriff Insurance Services. It’s named after McGriff, Seibels & Williams, which provides property/casualty insurance; employee benefits; life and pension plans; financial services and surety products; and specialty insurance programs.
BB&T Insurance Services of California and BridgeTrust Title are not included in the initial rebranding and will continue to operate under their current names.
Part of the rebrand includes a new logo, comprised of a new blue color palette, fonts and design elements.
The McGriff name dates back to 1886, said David Pruett, vice chairman and chief executive officer at McGriff Insurance. “We’re excited to build on the brand equity and long-standing recognition associated with this industry leader while remaining committed to the outstanding client service we have provided for years,” he said.
Private life insurer Securian Financial has launched a new brand identity and its first national advertising campaign focused on the “family investor.” The idea came about after months of research to better understand the mindsets of customers who prioritize their time, money and emotional energy in family.
The campaign includes a new brand promise, identity system and logo. The company selected green as its brand color because it stands out from the predominantly blue “sea of sameness” in the financial services industry, said Ann McGarry, vice president of enterprise marketing and branding at Securian Financial. “Green also represents growth, tranquility and, quite frankly, money,” she said.
Securian Financial is running ads nationally on “Good Morning America” and a number of cable channels. It's also running the ads in heavier rotations in four local markets: Chicago, Denver, Houston and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The new brand will allow distributors to spend less time explaining who the company is and more time educating customers about its financial services solutions.
Lori Chordas is a senior associate editor. She can be reached at lori.chordas@ambest.com.
