IMAS Speaker Mike Boyd Explains How Farmers Insurance Company Combines Humor and a Sophisticated Strategy in Advertising

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OLDWICK - OCTOBER 16, 2014 04:02 PM (EDT)
A.M. Best publisher of Best's Review magazine, has posted a new video interview with Mike Boyd, head of brand and advertising at Farmers Insurance Company. Boyd is a keynote speaker at the 2014 Insurance Marketing and Advertising Summit (IMAS), to be held October 30th in Jersey City, NJ. To hear the full interview, visit http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=imasboyd1014.

In the interview, Boyd discusses how the home, auto and business carrier creates high-profile advertising campaigns that combine humor and sophisticated strategy.

To learn more about IMAS and to register for the conference, visit http://www.bestreview.com/imas.

Boyd and his team develop advertising and marketing campaigns seen through multimedia outlets. The team also helped develop national sponsorships, including the Farmers Insurance Open and NASCAR with driver Kasey Kahne.

Topics covered in the interview include:

Clear, consistent and concise messages and consumer insights are key. "We are not going to win by brute force," said Boyd. "A good campaign comes from consumers...their insights, ideas and opinions. If you listen to them closely, they'll point you in the right direction."

Humor is more than being funny. "Breakthrough is vital. Humor, fun and surprise are great tools for breakthrough," Boyd noted. "They are also effective motivators to persuade consumers. But it's important that a company finds its own voice in humor; something that sets it apart from the competition."

Start from the brand vision. "When you combine brand vision with strategy and amplify it through creativity, you get a very powerful result," said Boyd. "But at times one of those three elements can be out of synch. It's important for us as marketers that we are relentless in making sure those three components work in unison, with consumers squarely in the center. We have to be relevant to them, authentic to their needs and be a brand that brings benefit to their life."

Sponsorships help to further connect with consumers. "Sponsorships represent an effective means to connect with consumers around their passion points. To sponsor a PGA Tour event or a NASCAR race creates relevancy that you simply can't purchase with a 30-second commercial," said Boyd. "Sponsorships also create a great leadership platform for a brand."

Other scheduled speakers at the 2014 IMAS include:

• John Chandler, chief marketing officer, MassMutual


• Lynn Kesterson-Townes, industry lead for smarter commerce - insurance, IBM


• LeConte Moore, managing director, DeWitt Stern


• Teri James, head of marketing & communications, Conning


• Myra Lee, vice president, marketing, Conning


• Ryan Hanley, digital marketing lead, TrustedChoice.com


• Jim Fiske, U.S. marketing manager, Chubb Personal Insurance


• Dolores Marinelli, marketing communications manager, Chubb Personal Insurance


• Gaye Torrance, president, TorranceCo


• Charles Wasilewski, vice president, marketing communications, The Van Aartrijk Group


• Mark Westin, manager, communications & interactive media, Acord


• Barry Rollins, director of marketing communications, Lexington Insurance Company, LexTV


• John P. Greene, president, WRIN.tv

The $199 IMAS registration fee includes conference materials, continental breakfast, lunch and a networking social to conclude the event. To inquire about a multiple attendee discount, contact Corporate Events Manager Stacey Ancker at stacey.ancker@ambest.com.

Many of the speakers and panelists will be interviewed in advance on The Insurance Marketing and Advertising Podcast, at http://feeds.feedburner.com/insurancemarketing, where subscribers can listen for free to these and past discussions.

A.M. Best Company is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source.