“Trusted Choice” Hits The Air Waves This monthmarks the launch of what many agents and their company partnershope is a new marketing era for independent agents throughout thecountry, as “Trusted Choice” hits the airwaves.

“Trusted Choice” is the Independent Insurance Agents &Brokers of Americas branding initiative designed to educateconsumers on the value of having independent agents on their sidein the insurance transaction.

While the “Trusted Choice” campaign has been gathering supportfrom companies and agents for almost two years, February marks thekick off of the national advertising campaign. The plan calls forthree 30 second advertising spots to be broadcast on national cablenews networks during prime time viewing hours.

According to said Larry Acord, executive director of “TrustedChoice” and vice president of consumer marketing for theAlexandria, Va.-based association, the lighthearted pieces aredesigned to draw attention to what consumers are looking for mostin the insurance transaction: choice, advocacy and customization.He said these are things which captive and direct agents are not ina position to give.

“Consumers see insurance as very complicated and they dont likeor trust companies,” Mr. Acord noted, suggesting that consumersthink of insurers as “faceless” entities. “That is where we havethe advocate looking out for their best interests,” he said.

Now, for agents who have made the investment in the “TrustedChoice” program, they will be rewarded with an active nationaltelevision campaign that has proven consumer recognition in testmarkets, Mr. Acord said.

Last year, in the test market survey of the ads shown in Seattleand Louisville, Ky., Mr. Acord said the three ads, which focused onauto, home, and commercial lines, scored a four on the recognitionmarketing scale. This was a very high rating, he said, since thenorm is usually less than one.

The ad campaign, budgeted at less than $500,000, has 122 spotson CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and Fox News Network prime time news showsover a six week period. It is targeted at a professional audienceover the age of 35.

Companies and agents who have already involved themselves in thecampaign have nothing but praise for the marketing product.

“Once we understood the goals of Trusted Choice, we thought theywere in alignment with our strategy and it was the best way to sellinsurance,” said Mike LaRocco, president of Seattle based SAFECOspersonal lines business. “Consumers need trusted advisors and the“Trusted Choice” members provide that type of support.”

SAFECO, he explained, did its own unique advertisingincorporating the “Trusted Choice” brand, he said. While thecompany has not taken a survey of the ads effectiveness, he saidintuitively, from feedback the company has gotten, the results havebeen positive.

Being there as a trusted advocate for the consumer has alwaysbeen the focus of Smith, Sawyer & Smith, Inc., a 16-personindependent agency in Rochester, Inc.

Ron Smith, the agencys president and chairman of the “TrustedChoice” board, said he was an early advocate of the program. Withthe brand, he said, he believes his agency will benefit from theadvocacy of the program and help the agency grow.

“We think people are brand conscious,” noted Mr. Smith. “Anyemphasis we place on what we say we are, I think, will only helpus.”

“I think this has an opportunity to be of assistance because, inthe end, if we cant live up to that pledge, we wont be able to keepthe business anyway. It is what people are looking for.”

“We are very excited,” said Michelle Rupp, chief executiveofficer of Nowogroski Rupp Insurance Group in Seattle. “We haveneeded a brand to identify us with customers for a long time.”

The agency has been working with the advertising that waslaunched in the area last year, and she said, it is now revving upfor the national campaign. And, she added, the advertising hasclaimed success. In the first week of the campaign, two new clientscame to her office after seeing the advertising and going to the“Trusted Choice” locator on the Web, she said, noting that bothended up buying policies.

After the national campaign, the agency will consider trying itshand at advertising locally over radio, using the template whichthe “Trusted Choice” program is making available to agents.

Once the national campaign is finished, “Trusted Choice” adswill be available to member agents to use in their local televisionand radio markets. For a small fee, the ads will be tailored fortheir agency and shipped to the station the spots will run on.

A form and additional information is available at www.trustedchoice.com. Apreview of the ads is also available on the site.

Ms. Rupp said having such ads is important because it givesconsumers “a consistent message about who we are.”

Reproduced from National Underwriter Edition, February 3, 2003.Copyright 2003 by The National Underwriter Company in the serialpublication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as anindependent work may be held by the author.