Kudos to AllState Insurance for their brand/attribute campaign featuring Dennis Haysbert. I saw one of the newer executions this week and was solidly impressed by their positioning on what was certainly a market research-driven discovery.
“Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” (the old Neil Sedaka chestnut) plays in the background of the ad (titled “Dance”), while Haysbert intones about how AllState will handle the process of switching new customers to AllState without the consumer having to go through the dreaded “break up” call with their current insurer.
I could just imagine the focus groups. Consider a recruit of consumers who are unhappy with their current insurance suppliers and are considering changing. After probing why they are dissatisfied with their carriers, the moderator asks, “well then, if you’re unhappy with your current supplier, what keeps you from switching?”
“Well, who knows if it’s really worth it?” is the response, quickly followed by, “I’ve heard horror stories from friends about other carriers—they all seem pretty bad.”
The moderator then asks to which companies they might consider switching. Presumably, AllState was one of the mentions (I’d have ensured this in the screener).
“What keeps you from simply checking them out?” the moderator poses.
“I would, but it’s such a hassle to switch,” says one respondent, as others nod around the table.
“Hassle? What hassles do you encounter?”
“Oh, the paperwork!” “Changing the electronic fund transfer.” “Having to find a new agent.” More “hassles” follow.
The moderator probes again. “How about the process of changing itself? What other hassles do you encounter in trying to switch?”
“Oh, I hate to say it, but I tried to switch once, and my carrier put up such a fuss and badgered me into staying. I just couldn’t seem to get rid of them…………….”
Pure research gold!
I’m staying tuned to see how AllState fares with this clever positioning in the market.
Comments welcome!
Dr. Bob
