Trusted Choice To Launch May Campaign

By Mark E. Ruquet

NU Online News Service, April 15, 4:05 p.m. EDT?Trusted Choice, the branding campaign aimed at educating consumers about the value of having an independent agent, is launching a nationwide multi-tiered ad campaign next month.[@@]

May 9 will kick off a program involving national, state association and individual agents promoting Trusted Choice, explained Jeffrey A. Meyers, executive director of the program. The now three-year-old independent agent branding campaign was launched by the Alexandria, Va.-based Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.

For the two weeks in May, over 100 ads will run on national television, appearing on Fox News, Turner Network Television, Home and Garden Network, and the History Channel.

In concert with this effort, seven state associations will do their own promotions, using a Trusted Choice advertising series developed by the program, Mr. Meyers noted.

"We're getting double bang for the month of May for Trusted Choice," he said.

Working in tandem with the campaign will be independent agents doing their own individual promotions utilizing Trusted Choice advertising material.

The Trusted Choice branding effort portrays independent agents as offering choice, value and advocacy for consumers.

The state associations that will be involved in the campaign are New York, Indiana, Texas, Rhode Island, Kansas, New Hampshire and Missouri. In addition to television advertising, the states will employ radio and print advertising to promote the brand.

"What we will have is a three-tiered approach to put our message in front of the consumer on a consistent level," said Mr. Meyers, noting this effort is the first of its kind.

The month of May will also see the release of a consumer survey on business interruption insurance, which Mr. Meyers said indicates how little the small-business owner knows about the value of such coverage.

Ronald Smith, chairman of Trusted Choice's board of directors and president of the independent agency Smith, Sawyer & Smith Inc., in Rochester, Ind., said another focus of the campaign is to get more of the program's agents to use the advertising materials.

Greater use of the promotion should draw new members, he said. The benefit of a growing agent base, he added, is that the greater the membership the more attractive Trusted Choice becomes to drawing company partners. This growth further drives the brand into the consciousness of consumers.

Mr. Meyers said that in addition to the May campaign, Trusted Choice advertising is slated to run in mid-September. It will also appear for the first time in an Internet campaign to run from June 13 through August 21.

Special Reports /

Trusted Choice To Launch May Campaign

Related Stories

Recommended For You