Responding to the pressures of an oversaturated insurance market, The Co-operators Group of Guelph, Ont. has launched a brand-building campaign to distinguish it from its competition.
The campaign, by Toronto’s Wunderman Cato Johnson, is the biggest the company has ever launched, with four tv spots airing now, and radio and print to break in the summer. There will also be point-of-sale material.
‘Everyone knows who the big five banks are,’ says Terry Squire, president and ceo of The Co-operators Group. ‘But does anyone know who the top five insurance companies are?’
Squire says research indicated the answer to his question was a resounding no. And, with heightened competition in the general insurance industry, particularly from ad-heavy banks and multinationals, it was necessary to familiarize Canadians with the brand, he says. ‘We’ve got to step out and start to shout it out.’
The theme of the campaign, ‘A Better Place for You,’ is highlighted in the tv spots which make reference to the company’s involvement in community programs across the country.
The style is low-key and down-to-earth, shot in sepia tones. One spot has a woman talking about how she sought out the Co-operators after talking with her neighbor, a senior citizen whose sidewalk was cleared of snow thanks to one of the group’s community programs.
‘We’re not the typical Bay Street company,’ says Squire, adding that this theme will distinguish it from its competition.
The radio component will air at the end of June for two months, at which point a second flight of the tv spots will begin. Local papers will carry ads throughout the summer and point-of sale material will be available to the 700 or so exclusive agents across the country, according to Squire.
Media Buying Services handled media.
