Nothing is safe anymore
Insurance Younger people are hardly familiar withNational Versicherung anymore. An outrageous image campaign by SFLB is now set to change this.
Insurance Younger people are hardly familiar withNational Versicherung anymore. An outrageous image campaign by SFLB is now set to change this.
Just like nuclear physics, advertising is also familiar with the phenomenon of half-life. Advertising ideas with a low tendency to decay are far more common in the insurance industry than in others. The importance of traditional advertising played a subordinate role here for a long time; the industry invested less than half a percent of its gross premiums in advertising budgets. In line with the development of long-term customer relationships, one of the central objectives of insurance marketing, the less differentiated image and product advertising often remained faithful to a basic idea for decades.inert brand personality
Target group-oriented DM, sponsoring and other measures were later built on this. If there are any insurance companies that have - consciously or unconsciously - strongly embraced this strategy in their commercial communication, National Versicherung is undoubtedly one of them.
The green, yellow and red rhinoceros Nasi, together with cycling legend Ferdy Kübler, has shaped the image of the Basel-based all-lines insurer for over 20 years. The catchy jingle has remained as immortal as these popular characters. The appeal of this concept, which was implemented less and less with traditional advertising media, remained unusual and
remained high. What is serious here is that business development further cemented the current situation in communication. Despite tough conditions in the dynamic but saturated market, National was able to report "satisfactory growth" in 2004. The insurance group increased gross premiums by 1.1 percent to around
1.8 billion francs. In the life insurance business, it even clearly bucked the declining market trend.
So what prompted the top ten primary insurer - measured by premium volume - to change its successful strategy? The dangerously sluggish brand personality. A Mafo study has shown that unaided awareness in the age segments varies greatly. While older age groups are still familiar with National Versicherung, the younger segments are no longer even aware of it. Head of Marketing Willi Erdin blames the low advertising presence of the insurance company for the growing demographic challenge, but without giving any reasons for this.
Repositioning the brandHe has only been at the Markom desk for a year. "The last big campaign was a good ten years ago. It's mainly older people who remember the Nasi and Kübler campaigns. In the longer term, I therefore fear that young people will no longer take us into account when choosing insurance," says Erdin. That's why the goal for the new campaign was set: "We have to reposition our brand and make it better known." Furthermore, National should be perceived as the independent, straightforward and flexible Swiss insurance company where continuity in the personal customer relationship is central. In order to communicate these values and shake off the dust with a radical update, National, like other insurance companies, now wants to build a younger and independent image with a humorous campaign.
Nasi is slowly retiring The National is said to be open-minded, easy-going and humorous, making it a top-of-mind brand again. Rhino Nasi does match these attributes and was still very popular. However, it is often seen as childish and not very professional. It will therefore be retired in installments as the sole image carrier and will still appear as a logo element and promotional item to make way for a new world of images.
The agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) was commissioned for this because its platform "is also likely to be noticed by the younger generation thanks to its provocative humor," says Willi Erdin.
In fact, the surprise effect and entertainment value now visible after the long advertising silence would hardly have been expected from the almost contourless National Versicherung. The approach not only assumes that nothing is certain, which is also the new claim. It benefits - not unlike a cuckoo's egg - from the strength of well-known brands and their advertising worlds.
Because even in the perfect cliché world of advertising, not everything is safe. Authentic-looking and easily recognizable brand worlds were "made a little imperfect" to suit the various sectors - non-life, life or personal insurance, says CD Martin Spillmann. However, he smiles, any similarities with real-life brands are completely coincidental.
Nothing is certainUnavoidable would be the right word here. On the posters for trendy fashion, the model is suddenly wearing a plaster cast, the car brand with the new 9 Series unexpectedly advertises with a dented model, and a gallery has to advertise its exhibition with an empty picture frame. For the product advertising of a furniture store (name not only known to the editors), the creatives even imitated the funny names.
The Krea team avoided the dangerous pitfalls of copyright law even more wittily in their commercial: After all, who would expect the shower gel man to get hurt during his daring jump into the refreshing water?
But just that: Nothing is really safe. Fortunately, National Versicherung covers even such cases without any problems.
The misfortune: For most younger people, National Versicherung is hardly a household name. Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett has been tasked with rehabilitating the company's image with a campaign >> page 7
Just like nuclear physics, advertising is also familiar with the phenomenon of half-life. Advertising ideas with a low tendency to decay are far more common in the insurance industry than in others. The importance of traditional advertising played a subordinate role here for a long time; the industry invested less than half a percent of its gross premiums in advertising budgets. In line with the development of long-term customer relationships, one of the central objectives of insurance marketing, the less differentiated image and product advertising often remained faithful to a basic idea for decades.inert brand personality
Target group-oriented DM, sponsoring and other measures were later built on this. If there are any insurance companies that have - consciously or unconsciously - strongly embraced this strategy in their commercial communication, National Versicherung is undoubtedly one of them.
The green, yellow and red rhinoceros Nasi, together with cycling legend Ferdy Kübler, has shaped the image of the Basel-based all-lines insurer for over 20 years. The catchy jingle has remained as immortal as these popular characters. The appeal of this concept, which was implemented less and less with traditional advertising media, remained unusual and
remained high. What is serious here is that business development further cemented the current situation in communication. Despite tough conditions in the dynamic but saturated market, National was able to report "satisfactory growth" in 2004. The insurance group increased gross premiums by 1.1 percent to around
1.8 billion francs. In the life insurance business, it even clearly bucked the declining market trend.
So what prompted the top ten primary insurer - measured by premium volume - to change its successful strategy? The dangerously sluggish brand personality. A Mafo study has shown that unaided awareness in the age segments varies greatly. While older age groups are still familiar with National Versicherung, the younger segments are no longer even aware of it. Head of Marketing Willi Erdin blames the low advertising presence of the insurance company for the growing demographic challenge, but without giving any reasons for this.
Repositioning the brandHe has only been at the Markom desk for a year. "The last big campaign was a good ten years ago. It's mainly older people who remember the Nasi and Kübler campaigns. In the longer term, I therefore fear that young people will no longer take us into account when choosing insurance," says Erdin. That's why the goal for the new campaign was set: "We have to reposition our brand and make it better known." Furthermore, National should be perceived as the independent, straightforward and flexible Swiss insurance company where continuity in the personal customer relationship is central. In order to communicate these values and shake off the dust with a radical update, National, like other insurance companies, now wants to build a younger and independent image with a humorous campaign.
Nasi is slowly retiring The National is said to be open-minded, easy-going and humorous, making it a top-of-mind brand again. Rhino Nasi does match these attributes and was still very popular. However, it is often seen as childish and not very professional. It will therefore be retired in installments as the sole image carrier and will still appear as a logo element and promotional item to make way for a new world of images.
The agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) was commissioned for this because its platform "is also likely to be noticed by the younger generation thanks to its provocative humor," says Willi Erdin.
In fact, the surprise effect and entertainment value now visible after the long advertising silence would hardly have been expected from the almost contourless National Versicherung. The approach not only assumes that nothing is certain, which is also the new claim. It benefits - not unlike a cuckoo's egg - from the strength of well-known brands and their advertising worlds.
Because even in the perfect cliché world of advertising, not everything is safe. Authentic-looking and easily recognizable brand worlds were "made a little imperfect" to suit the various sectors - non-life, life or personal insurance, says CD Martin Spillmann. However, he smiles, any similarities with real-life brands are completely coincidental.
Nothing is certainUnavoidable would be the right word here. On the posters for trendy fashion, the model is suddenly wearing a plaster cast, the car brand with the new 9 Series unexpectedly advertises with a dented model, and a gallery has to advertise its exhibition with an empty picture frame. For the product advertising of a furniture store (name not only known to the editors), the creatives even imitated the funny names.
The Krea team avoided the dangerous pitfalls of copyright law even more wittily in their commercial: After all, who would expect the shower gel man to get hurt during his daring jump into the refreshing water?
But just that: Nothing is really safe. Fortunately, National Versicherung covers even such cases without any problems.
The misfortune: For most younger people, National Versicherung is hardly a household name. Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett has been tasked with rehabilitating the company's image with a campaign >> page 7
With the new, humorous campaign, National Versicherung wants to be seen as open-minded and become a top-of-mind brand again.
Provocative humor: recognizable brand worlds are "made a little imperfect" on National's posters.
Cool advertising campaign for young people.
Luca Aloisi
