Moving away from the masses

In today’s competitive insurance market, consumers are subject to a barrage of information, marketing messages and visuals about the various service offerings available from vastly different companies. While products and policies are seemingly standard throughout the industry, the endless methods with which individual companies solicit new business greatly differ from brand to brand. Through their marketing efforts, each brand hopes to create a discernable identity that consumers will relate and turn to in order to fulfill their insurance needs.

This is particularly important for companies in service-based industries, such as insurance, where offerings include highly intangible products. The need to create marketing collateral with imagery that speaks directly to consumers on a personal level, while defining the brand in the competitive marketplace, is crucial. There is no denying that images are the face of the brand, and as such, should communicate distinct and unique brand attributes and messaging across all media platforms.

One of the ways that companies within the insurance industry can distinguish themselves in a highly competitive market is to create customized imagery that is not only recognizable but evokes a positive reaction. That said, insurance companies are often challenged with the task of developing brand imagery that inspires a consumer to identify with the product and create a connection and need for it in their everyday lives. To create the connection and build this mega brand, custom imagery is a key factor, as it distinguishes one company from another.

Developing customized imagery sometimes requires the help of a knowledgeable partner who can not only advise a brand on its messaging, but be able to translate this in each image. To best identify the factors that differentiate insurance brands from the competition, companies should take note of the elements that are most vital to them and create imagery that supports that position. A generic stock image is unlikely to accurately capture the essence of a brand, and won’t help consumers visually pinpoint a company’s distinct offerings and positive brand attributes.

Unfortunately, a large number of insurance companies look to stock photography for their marketing campaigns in an attempt to quickly develop low-cost marketing materials, while saving resources. That approach can leave companies at risk of branding their material with the same images as their competitors resulting in a weakened brand identity, causing confusion among consumers and making it difficult for them to differentiate between brands.

Additionally, duplicate imagery is a major risk for insurance providers, because there is a possibility that the images used are also being employed in other industries. For example, an insurance provider may have the same stock image on its Web site as a tobacco company, whose services, values and brand positioning are completely opposite of the messaging conveyed by the insurance company.

Avoiding the use of risky generic images is important not only for insurance agents, but for all companies in the business of selling services and other intangibles.

There are discernable opportunities when using custom imagery. Aside from the ability to visually portray a customer’s needs, customized photography allows brands to target specific demographics in a culturally-sensitive manner. One of the most common and crucial mistakes insurance agents make when reaching out to a certain demographic is selecting generic images that inaccurately portray or stereotype a race. In order for insurance agents to launch successful multicultural campaigns, images must speak to the consumer’s demographic, lifestyle and cultural preferences. Photos augmented with characteristics that speak to a consumer’s lifestyle are more effective in developing a connection between a consumer and a brand.

In an insurance provider’s quest to create an iconic brand and stand apart from the ever-increasing competition, creating consistency across all of marketing platforms also becomes crucial. Everything used to market the business needs to be cohesive to capture consumers’ interests and build brand recognition. The type of photography chosen for brochures should be the same type of photography used in direct mail campaigns, on the Web site and in any other marketing outlets. If a direct mail piece piques a potential customer’s interest, the rest of a company’s marketing campaigns must continuously support that interest. If a client visits the corporate Web site and doesn’t feel the same connection that he or she experienced with the original direct mail piece, that client’s interest will be lost.

Moral of the story?

Images can make or break a brand. Especially when marketing intangible services, implementing brand-centric imagery across multiple media platforms will create that all-important real-life connection between consumers and a brand. As the competition for customer attention is increasingly heightened with the expansion and growth of media platforms, it will be even more important for marketers to enhance their strategy and brand communication during the creation of marketing materials. And as many successful companies can attest, a good place to begin is with customized images.

For more information on evaluating marketing imagery, see “Building a brand with the right imagery,” which appeared in Insurance Journal West Region’s Oct. 22, 2007, issue on pages 54-55.