TRUSTED CHOICESM CONTINUES TO GROW WITH ADDITION OF MAINE MUTUAL GROUP
New EnglandInsurer Becomes Newest Company to Join Branding Initiative
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 1—Maine Mutual Group Insurance Company, a regional provider with operations in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, is joining a growing number of companies that are partnering with Trusted ChoiceSM—the national branding initiative created to educate consumers about the benefits of using independent insurance agents and brokers.
Maine Mutual Group is the newest company to become a partner of the Trusted ChoiceSM consumer branding initiative. Trusted ChoiceSM was created by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) and its company partners to highlight the benefits independent agencies and brokerage firms offer consumers—choice of companies, customization of policies and consumer advocacy. Just two years after its inception, more than 3,500 independent insurance agencies and brokerages throughout the country are participating in the branding program.
“We have been considering joining the Trusted ChoiceSM branding movement for a long time, and we are thrilled to finally make it official,” says Larry M. Shaw, president and CEO of Maine Mutual Group. “Trusted ChoiceSM is a powerful brand that fits nicely with our business philosophy of providing the best coverage options to consumers through our independent agent and broker distribution force. We are excited to be a part of Trusted ChoiceSM, because the brand truly is a hand-in-glove fit for Maine Mutual Group.”
“By joining Trusted ChoiceSM we clearly reinforce our commitment to meeting and exceeding the expectations of our customers and our resolve to truly partner with our agents and brokers. Trusted ChoiceSM immediately informs consumers that we use the best agents in the marketplace, those agents who give a written pledge of performance to their customers, those agents who go the extra step on customer service and those agents who know that good customer service combined with good products is the formula for growth and success,” continues Shaw
Founded in Houlton, Maine in 1897, Maine Mutual Group provides personal lines products as well as a variety of commercial lines products including business owner, special trade contractor, farm owner, commercial auto and commercial umbrella insurance. Maine Mutual Group currently includes 140 licensed agencies at 268 locations in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.
“For more than a century, Maine Mutual Group has provided excellent service to New England residents, and we’re ecstatic the company has joined the growing Trusted ChoiceSM family,” says IIABA CEO Robert A. Rusbuldt. “It is gratifying that Maine Mutual Group and so many other excellent agency system companies are committing themselves to promoting their independent insurance agent and broker distribution force through Trusted ChoiceSM.”
Seven national insurers are Trusted ChoiceSM company partners: Encompass Insurance, Markel Insurance Company, MetLife Auto & Home, Ohio Casualty Insurance, Progressive Insurance, Rain and Hail, and Safeco Insurance.
Maine Mutual Group (www.mainemutual.com) and 16 other regional insurance companies are Trusted ChoiceSM partners: America First Insurance, Capital Insurance Group, Cascade National Insurance, Central Insurance Companies, Colorado Casualty, Consumers Insurance, GoAmerica Auto Insurance, Golden Eagle Insurance, Hawkeye-Security Insurance, Indiana Insurance, Main Street America Group, Montgomery Insurance, National Security Fire & Casualty, Peerless Insurance, Selective Insurance Group and Summit Insurance (R.I.). InsurBanc, a federal thrift bank created by IIABA, is a Trusted ChoiceSM strategic partner.
The Trusted ChoiceSM brand is being promoted nationally through a combination of advertising, company ingredient branding, public relations, agency marketing and Internet communications. Six advertising flights this year in March (just completed), April, June, August, October and December, as well as a public relations outreach program, will educate consumers to the value of a Trusted ChoiceSM agency. The April ad flight will run from April 19 through May 2 on major national cable networks.
All media direct consumers to www.TrustedChoice.com, where they will find a cutting-edge Agency Locator and the latest consumer information on numerous insurance topics.
Trusted ChoiceSM is the consumer marketing identity for more than 3,500 participating independent insurance agencies and brokerages and their branch locations. These firms offer a choice of insurance companies and policies, customization of policy coverage, and consumer advocacy. Founded in 1896, IIABA is the nation’s oldest and largest association for independent insurance agents and brokers. Web site: www.independentagent.com.
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