MAY IS TRUSTED CHOICE®MONTH
Coordinated Advertising & PR Campaigns to Build Consumer Awareness
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 18, 2005—May is Trusted Choice® Month, a month-long campaign of advertising and public relations activities that will increase consumer awareness of the brand.
“Trusted Choice® Month is easily the most concerted activity to raise consumer awareness of the brand and its agency participants in the program’s history,” says brand program Board Chairman Ronald A. Smith, CPCU. “It’s an exciting time for everybody who is a part of this consumer brand movement.”
Trusted Choice® Month gets rolling May 9 when a two-week, half-million dollar, national cable TV ad flight kicks off. This advertising activity will consist of nearly 100 ads through May 22. Trusted Choice® commercials will be seen nationwide on popular programming on Fox News Channel, Turner Network Television (TNT), Home & Garden Television (HGTV) and The History Channel. To view the complete ad schedule, go to www.TrustedChoice.com/MayAds. The spots will highlight the benefits of using a Trusted Choice® agency: choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support.
In addition to national advertising, numerous Big “I” state associations are getting in on the action during Trusted Choice® Month. Big “I” state associations in New York, Indiana, Texas, Rhode Island, Kansas, New Hampshire and Missouri will complement the national ad flight with state-level ad campaigns. For example, in Rhode Island a TV and billboard advertising campaign is currently underway and will run through mid-June. In Kansas, Trusted Choice® Month will be the kick-off for an extensive radio advertising campaign that will feature nearly 14,000 spots through December.
And that’s not all, notes Smith, who is president of Smith, Sawyer & Smith, Inc., a Rochester, Ind.-based independent agency. Hundreds of Trusted Choice® agencies are planning local TV, radio and print advertising that will tie into the national and state campaigns.
“This three-tiered approach will greatly enhance frequency of our advertising message and at the same time increase consumer awareness of the Trusted Choice® brand and its participating agencies,” says Smith. “This level of activity is unprecedented and will help establish Trusted Choice® as a valued brand in the minds of consumers.”
In addition to the paid media, the brand program also will launch a major public relations campaign focusing on small business insurance issues. This media outreach will position Trusted Choice® agencies as the smart choice for the insurance needs of entrepreneurs, says Executive Director Jeffrey A. Myers.
“We will share the findings of a revealing small business survey with national media and will provide materials to Trusted Choice® agencies that they can customize and share with their local media,” explains Myers. “This is an excellent way to alert consumers to an important issue and at the same time educate them on the valuable services provided by Trusted Choice® agencies.
“In addition, agency owners will benefit by participating in this media outreach campaign by positioning themselves as experts on insurance issues with their local media. This public relations campaign ultimately will further increase consumer awareness of their Trusted Choice® agency locally,” says Myers. “It’s really a win-win for our agents.”
Says Robert A. Rusbuldt, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”): “The ultimate winners will be consumers. When this month-long campaign is over, nearly 100 million consumers will be exposed to the brand’s message; a message that has proven to resonate with consumers because they want choice, customization and advocacy from their insurance provider, yet don’t know where to get those services. Thanks to Trusted Choice® consumers will know how to find an agent who delivers these value-added benefits and will go to the Agency Locator at TrustedChoice.com to find a local agency.”
Trusted Choice® is the consumer marketing brand created by the Big “I” and several independent agency companies to highlight the benefits independent agencies and brokerage firms offer consumers. Just three years after its inception, more than 4,000 independent agencies and 29 leading agency system companies are participating in this exciting brand movement.
Ten national insurers are participating in Trusted Choice®: Encompass Insurance, Markel Insurance Company, MetLife Auto & Home, Ohio Casualty Insurance, Drive Insurance from Progressive, Rain and Hail Insurance Service, Safeco Insurance and three Unitrin, Inc. divisions: Kemper Auto and Home, Unitrin Business Insurance and Unitrin Specialty Insurance.
Eighteen regional carriers are participating: Allied Insurance, America First Insurance, Capital Insurance Group, Central Insurance Companies, Colorado Casualty, Consumers Insurance, GoAmerica Auto Insurance, Golden Eagle Insurance, Hawkeye-Security Insurance, Indiana Insurance, Liberty Northwest Insurance Corp., The Main Street America Group, Maine Mutual Group, Montgomery Insurance, National Security Fire & Casualty, Peerless Insurance, Selective Insurance Group and Summit Insurance (R.I.). InsurBanc, a federal thrift bank created by the Big “I,” is a strategic partner.
The Trusted Choice® brand is promoted nationally through advertising, company partner ingredient branding, public relations, member agency marketing and Internet communications.
All media direct consumers to www.TrustedChoice.com, where they will find the Trusted Choice® Agency Locator and consumer information on relevant insurance topics.
Trusted Choice® is the consumer marketing identity for thousands of 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 support. Web address: www.TrustedChoice.com.
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