Here I am, pictured at the recent Big I conference with Eddie–short for “Ease Of Doing Business Man,” the mascot of the Real Time campaign, designed to convince agents to upgrade their tech capabilities. I like Eddie. I smile when I see his cartoon image as part of the campaign's logo, and it was fun to pose with a “live” version in the exhibit area. It made me think about how effective such techniques are when trying to brand your product, service or profession.

Independent agents have always struggled to “brand” themselves, mainly because the general public has a hard time distinguishing among the industry's various players. The goal is to make consumers understand that dealing with an independent agent has important advantages, such as focusing more on the consumer's needs, rather than force-feeding them products from only one particular insurer.

The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America has been promoting its “Trusted Choice” campaign for some time now. It's a sound program, but agents know they face an uphill battle against the advertising onslaught of a direct writer like Geico, which comes at consumers relentlessly on TV, radio, the Web and in print ads with its entertaining cast of characters–including a suave gecko and disgruntled cave men–all very funny, cute and memorable. It's a winning formula, humanizing the “cold, cruel, complicated” insurance industry.