Insurance for when “life goes right”

Certain slogans can immediately connect a consumer to a brand: “I’m lovin’ it,” and “Like a good neighbor” are easily associated with their respective companies. But even with strong recognition from consumers, there often comes a time for an update, a new supporting tagline, or a different approach.

State Farm hopes to make consumers realize its brand means more than just being a good neighbor in a time of crisis; they also want to be there for customers during life’s good moments. In partnership with their agency DDB Chicago, State Farm launched their tagline to “help life go right,” during the first game of the 2016 NBA Finals in an ad that demonstrated the company will be around even when things aren’t going wrong.

The television spot took a decidedly different tone from many of the commercials which encouraged customers to “get to a better state” through humor. State Farm asked a thought provoking question: “What if things stopped going wrong?” State Farm wants to embrace the challenge that an insurance company is not just there for the bad events, but also for birthdays, graduations, births, and retirement. Not only does it change the meaning of what an insurance company can offer, it extends the brand value to its other services, such as banking and car loans.

In fact, following the launch of the initial television spot, additional commercials outlined the same “help life go right” tagline that promoted those additional services alongside the insurance products. Whether it was promoting car loans and car insurance or banking products and renter’s insurance, State Farm shows that the company is there when things go wrong and when life goes right.

This approach is particularly important as the insurance industry looks toward the future, where big data and smart technology solutions could significantly impact claims, and potentially lower consumer perceptions about the need for insurance. As a result, State Farm is exploring ways that insurance of the future can fit into the “life go right” mentality. How can an insurance policy offer value beyond the promise of protection when something goes wrong?

One way is to find innovative applications for the big data that companies have collected on policyholders. Recently, State Farm filed a US patent around the correlation and aggregation of data. The hope being, the company “could analyze data about a customer’s vehicles, home, and personal health, find patterns and offer ‘personalized recommendations, insurance discounts, and other added values or services that the individual can use to better manage and improve his or her life.’”

All of the efforts by State Farm to solidify its place in the lives of consumers well into the future are likely indicators of a broader shift in the insurance industry: how do we demonstrate to consumers that our products are essential even when claims decrease and the need for insurance seems less vital?  What is the benefit to the consumer today? When the promise of protection isn’t enough to differentiate, what value add can companies provide? Going forward, expect to see more companies find new ways to answer the question that State Farm has branded as their new tagline: how can we help “life go right?”

Stephanie Roy is the Director of Insights, Insurance at Mintel, focusing on all insurance sectors for Mintel Comperemedia. She is responsible for providing internal and external stakeholders with insights and analysis on trends in the Life, Health and P&C insurance industries.