Just like in sports, marketing is full of underdogs. They’re the little guys who have to work twice as hard to get the same level of recognition as their competitors. PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company is one of those underdogs.
A long road to victory
Unlike insurance behemoths GEICO and Allstate, PEMCO is a local insurance provider based in the Northwest. Not surprisingly, constantly competing against larger opponents brings its fair share of challenges. For one, PEMCO wasn’t exactly at the top of consumers’ roster. In fact, in 2007, the local insurance company ranked sixth in an independent research firm’s assessment of most-considered insurance brands, falling behind State Farm Insurance, Allstate, GEICO, Safeco Insurance, and Progressive.
PEMCO knew that it had to become more of a fan favorite among its consumers. However, its competitors already occupied most of the mind share surrounding price and responsibility, explains Kammie McArthur, creative director of PEMCO’s advertising agency DNA Seattle. So the brand went straight to its customers to find out how it could stand out in a crowded marketplace and leverage its local roots.
After conducting a series of customer interviews with the help of its agency, PEMCO discovered that people had a lot of local pride in Seattle and in the idiosyncrasies unique to the region. But that wasn’t the only key insight derived from the research. The brand also learned that people didn’t like to talk about insurance.
“They don’t like to buy it, they certainly don’t like to use it, and they don’t like to talk about it,” says Nate Luce, marketing program manager for PEMCO. “We recognize that, and we try to provide meaningful engagement… and let [people] get to know us, and we get to know them. But it’s not a conversation about insurance.”
Keeping this in mind, PEMCO launched a campaign in 2007 centered around the tagline, “We’re a lot like you. A little different.” The campaign featured profiles for stereotypical Northwest characters—ranging from Sandals and Socks guy to Obsessive Compulsive Recycler.
PEMCO and DNA Seattle spread word of these relatable characters through TV commercials, billboards, transit signs, a designated website, social media, direct mail, radio, and even trading cards. And Seattle’s citizens latched onto these personas. In fact, McArthur says that fans started submitting their own character ideas and buying related merchandise.
But that wasn’t the only win PEMCO experienced.
The brand snagged the number one spot in an independent study for most-likely-to-be-shopped insurance companies within a year of the campaign’s launch. And according to 2013 figures on DNA’s website, PEMCO experienced a 300% increase in intent to shop PEMCO, as well as a 77% boost in unaided brand awareness and a 25% increase in policy sales.
PEMCO has continued to include new characters throughout the years, including Goat Renter Guy in 2009, Obvious Left-Lane Occupant in 2011, and Flawless Wood Stacker in 2012. And this past football season, the Northwest company took its regional flair to the next level by targeting Seattle Seahawks fans with its Yellfie booth and campaign.
A legion of engaged fans
To play off of the noise Seattle Seahawks fans are famous for generating on game day, PEMCO and DNA Seattle debuted the Yellfie booth at last season’s first football game. As a Seattle Seahawks partner, PEMCO set up a mobile booth within the American Family Insurance Touchdown City fan experience section within the CenturyLink Field Event Center. Fans then entered the booth and screamed as loud as they could and had their yell recorded in a slow-motion video. After exercising their lung capacity, fans could see their scream’s decibel-level reading and if they were louder than a chainsaw or a jet plane. Fans were also given a card to remind them of their reading, as well as their experience. The card and the booth directed participants to PEMCO’s designated Yellfie landing page where they could watch their videos and share them via social with the hashtag #Yellfie. The website also included “insurance” and “claims” tabs at the top of the page in case fans wanted to learn more about PEMCO as a brand; however, Luce says that this wasn’t the brand’s main objective.
“It’s all about the brand,” he says. “It’s really about being uniquely Northwest [and] providing the engagement with PEMCO in a way that no one else does. It’s really not about insurance.”
PEMCO promoted the Yellfie booth through social media, as well as through email, game-day programs, in-stadium suites, the Seahawks Pro-Shop and the video board during each home game. The insurance company also tapped into fans’ competitive side. For instance, the company would feature the person with the highest decibel level on the video board, within the game-day program, and on a leader board. Plus, PEMCO encouraged participation through a contest in which the person with the loudest video shared on social media could win a VIP game-day experience. And to maintain the engagement all season long, PEMCO and DNA Seattle even a created a Christmas gram starring its participants.
And since the Yellfie booth was mobile, PEMCO could bring the booth to other local events and further its exposure.
A winning team
PEMCO promoted the #Yellfie booth until the playoffs, after which it switched gears for the Super Bowl. During its run, PEMCO received more than 3,500 Yellfie videos and generated more than 250,000 social media impressions. And while Luce says that the brand didn’t track how many of those participants converted to customers, McArthur argues that the campaign helped keep the brand at the forefront of consumers’ minds.
“The insurance industry is one of those things where it’s very hard to get people to switch spontaneously,” she says. “It’s always because [customers are] having a pain point with their existing company, or they’re hitting a different lifestage where they’re buying a house or there’s some impetus. The idea is that you want to be a well-loved brand so that when that time does come along you’ll be in the consideration set.”
Granted, there were a few fumbles along the way. For instance, both Luce and McArthur agree that building the booth and finding the right technology was a challenge.
“This has never been done before, quite frankly,” Luce says. “It’s not like you can go out and buy a booth where you can yell with cameras and slow motion videos at the local Target or whatever.”
Plus, Luce says that winning buy-in, from PEMCO as well as the Seahawks, took work. However, he says that good ideas require persistence. And his words of wisdom ring just as true for marketers as they do for Super Bowl XLIX’s losing team.
“Be persistent when you face challenges,” he says. “Don’t give up if you believe in the idea and the team that you have backing it up.”
