Belairdirect is announcing its arrival in Newfoundland and Labrador with a new, hyperlocal campaign tailored directly to the province’s people and their culture.

The insurer is entering the market through a rebrand of two longstanding insurers, Johnson Insurance and Anthony Insurance. Existing customers of both entities have already been shifted under the Belairdirect brand, but the insurer now seeks to add to its client base with the new campaign, which is titled “Together, We Can Help Better,” developed with creative agency Sid Lee.

The campaign taps into the cultural values of the province, while also employing more than 50 people from the community for on-screen and behind-the-scenes roles, including six veteran employees of the rebranded companies. It is soundtracked by St. John’s-based indie folk pairing Fortunate Ones. These choices were all deliberately made to communicate that while the name of the insurers have changed, their spirit remains largely the same.

“We knew we would need to assure the community and customers that our local team would remain in place – and that Belairdirect would continue to support the community from both an employee and insurance offering perspective,” says Marie-Pierre Leclerc, VP of marketing and digital strategy at the insurer. “Anthony Insurance and Johnson Insurance made helping Newfoundlanders and Labradorians central to both their brands and business offerings. … Belairdirect shares a deeply rooted desire to help whenever it can.”

Ultimately, the goal is to “show our commitment [to Newfoundland and Labrador] moving forward, while honouring the legacy and lineage of both brands,” she adds.

The campaign is based off of insights gleaned through the brand’s own market intelligence. It has a conversational tone, “as if it were a neighbour speaking to a neighbour,” and features scenes from across the province, including St. John’s, Port de Grave, Petty Harbour, Labrador, Corner Brook and Fogo.

“The campaign pays homage to the people and history that have made both brands so successful within the province, while also showing our commitment as Belairdirect will continue delivering on our shared purpose of helping customers, employees and communities,” explains Leclerc. “As part of our growth strategy, we will leverage Belairdirect’s national brand recognition to grow our footprint and offer Atlantic Canadians our simplified customer experience.”

The 360 effort is running across TV, radio, OOH (billboards in high-traffic locations in St. John’s), print, OLV, digital and social. The first phase will last through mid-December, with a second round of creative launching in early 2024.

PHD handled the media buy and Hill + Knowlton Strategies handled PR.