The payout’s the thing in a new campaign from TD Insurance. The national TV, print and digital campaign uses a Shakespearean actor to demonstrate the lack of drama associated with its various insurance products.
While most insurance advertising tends to focus on rates and fees, TD’s new campaign – aimed at homeowners 25-54 – puts the customer experience at its centre. It is intended to drive awareness, enquiries and customer acquisition for its home and auto programs, said Chris Stamper, senior vice-president, corporate marketing for TD Bank Group in Toronto.
The campaign from Leo Burnett (with media from Starcom MediaVest Group) is highlighted by a 30-second TV spot, “Mighty Oak,” which opens on a man clad in Elizabethan-era garb standing outside a house in the middle of a storm.
Lit by a spotlight, the man is loudly lamenting a tree branch that has fallen on the roof. As the storm rages, the actor intones: “And who will pay this destruction? Who will pay!?” only to have the homeowner answer the door and tell him: “No need for drama,” before informing him that they are insured by TD.
A French TV spot uses an identical creative approach, with the TV spots complemented by a pair of 15-second ads on TD Insurance’s YouTube channel. All of the ads use the tagline “You don’t want drama, you want insurance that fits,” and are complemented by the hashtag #InsuranceThatFits.
Stamper said that the time between an accident and knowing what is covered can be stressful for customers, and the campaign is intended to eliminate any doubts about rejected claims.
“Customers don’t want drama and a big song and dance – they want simple, straightforward, open and honest conversation about the insurance products and services that fit their needs,” he said. “We think it’s really breakthrough in the category and will differentiate [TD] from the other stuff out there.”
All of the video ads are filmed in black and white, which has become a hallmark of TD Bank Group’s advertising in recent years. Stamper said that the black and white spots have helped differentiate TD in the highly competitive financial services category.
TD’s YouTube channel also features a series of 30-second animated vignettes – all featuring TD’s signature green – that inform viewers about key aspects of home insurance such as contents coverage, weather damage and water damage.
While TD Insurance has been highly active in direct marketing, search/online and social media, this represents its first mass-media campaign in several years.
On Feb. 18, TD hosted a live Twitter chat on the topic of “home insurance that fits” that attracted 309 participants, up from 136 for a December Twitter chat on home safety over the holidays.
The first wave of the campaign will run for approximately eight weeks, with an additional flight planned for the summer, said Stamper. There are no plans for additional TV creative at this time, he said. “The initial consumer feedback was so positive, we’re pretty excited to run with it in our program,” he said.
