• by Tanya Gazdik , June 24, 2013

Pure, an insurance company that caters to high net-worth individuals using a member-owned model, is launching a unique campaign today.

The effort -- which includes TV, print, OOH, radio, Web site redesign and digital banners -- is the brand’s biggest marketing effort since the company launched in 2007.  It was created by New York-based agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons.

“While we don't share internal budgets, this is the most significant investment we've made in a campaign since our inception,” Mark Galante, Pure’s chief marketing officer, tells Marketing Daily. “At this point, the other specialist insurers aren’t funding big media campaigns to reach our target audience, so we’re confident that our budget will create impact.”

The campaign aims to reboot the perceptions of the insurance industry by positioning Pure as a love brand. The campaign was built on the overwhelming (and often unsolicited) feedback that Pure gets from its members.

The tagline, “Love Your Insurance,” is intentionally whimsical. It’s intended to capture attention and help consumers realize that if they don’t share the same passion for their insurer, they deserve better.

The 30-second TV spot, featuring music by Fitz and the Tantrums, showcases the words and positive reactions from Pure members in a way that conveys their enthusiasm and passion for their insurance company.

Since the brand’s inception, TV has been an important part of the strategy to build initial awareness when entering key new markets, as it helps reach the target consumer, Galante says.

Over the last year, the brand has run campaigns in a number of markets such as New Orleans, St. Louis, San Antonio, Jackson Hole and Denver. 

“The scope of those campaigns was notably smaller than what we have planned,” he said. “With regard to media, we tend to focus on content-rich environments, like news and business-related programming. We also like high-profile sporting events that index well with the affluent.”

The campaign launches in Seattle, Portland and Albuquerque. Additional rollout to Virginia, Washington, DC and Boston will occur in September and Las Vegas will be added in October. Additional markets are to be determined.  

The campaign used reactions from actual Pure customers to help achieve a number of goals including positioning the insurer’s offering as a coveted service -- not the “necessary evil” that so many consumers associate with the category of insurance.

Creative aims to provide reflection of exceptional member experiences, and demonstrate that “love brands” can exist in the world of insurance. It also aims to increase the expectations consumers have of their insurers, and draw more consumers into the specialist insurance category.

All executions direct consumers to more “love stories” on pureinsurance.com. Each love story is an individual member’s account of their experience with Pure, often during the claim process. For example, one member speaks about his experience during Hurricane Irene; another talks about a fire that destroyed his precious piano; several others speak about the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy.

Members are invited to share their own stories, which will be posted on the company’s site and shared “socially” over time.

The high net-worth insurance marketplace is filled with challenges and opportunities. Despite the massive redistribution of wealth occurring in this country (the wealthy are getting wealthier, and the rise of homes valued at $1M+ is extraordinary), the specialists that service this niche have lost market share in the recent years.

High net-worth consumers have been led to believe that insurance is a commodity; many don’t realize that the “mass-market” policy they have could put a significant amount of their assets at risk in the event of a loss. Others, like consumers across most segments, haven’t looked at their insurance in years and don’t realize that better options are available to them.

The brand targets the most responsible owners of the finest built homes, Galante says.

“They are successful, high net-worth individuals and families that have significant assets to protect, including special homes that they take great pride in, as well as fine automobiles, collections of jewelry and fine arts, and more,” he said. “Our policyholders consist of entrepreneurs, business owners and senior executives, both active and retired.”