5 Things I Learned at Brand Camp 2013

What happens at camp doesn't stay at camp.

For instance, here are five takeaways from Brand Camp 2013, held this week in Baltimore: 

1. There are a lot of independent insurance agents in Michigan.
2. Google Plus doesn't suck.
3. Eric Hall from Rough Notes doesn't just have an eye-popping wardrobe, he also kills it at karaoke.
4. The scariest thing about staying in Room 1408 was the difficulty in controlling the ambient air temperature.
5. The creative power of insurance people committed to solving problems is awe-inspiring.

Of course, there was much, much more I learned at the fourth insurance branding event put on by consultant Peter van Aartrijk and gang, and I'll be writing about it soon. But the main takeaway was that when you put a lot of smart people together in a room for two days, the result is no less than inspiring.

I've been a big fan of the Brand Camps, ever since they held the first one in Chicago in 2009. There are no long-winded speeches, stuffy panels or McKinsey-esque PowerPoint presentations; and although the meeting rooms are almost always overly air-conditioned (it's just a fact of life), that's the only similarity between Brand Camps and a “typical” insurance industry gathering. Participants–mostly independent agents, but also folks from carriers, reinsurers, trade associations and even a state rating bureau–feel comfortable enough to lob both gibes and ideas in equal measure. Peter and the other “camp counselors” make it a point to engage everyone in the room–which results in a delicious stewpot of unique perspectives and ideas.

At the first Brand Camp, the overriding question was, “Wow! What's up with this MyFace and Interwebs? Should we be doing it?” The big takeaway from this year's event wasn't “should we do it,” but how do we make the time to understand it and do it right.

In the 4 years since then, the world has not only caught up, but sped ahead of what was once cutting edge. The overwhelming show of hands around the room of which companies allowed their employees to engage in social media on the job was evidence of how more progressive we've become. And having a presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is only the start. I thought I had this social media thing knocked, but I got schooled big-time by Ashley Brower-Whitney of Harbor/Brenn Insurance Agencies (in yes, Michigan) on cool apps like Feedly, Buffer, Pocket and Zite. These free tools can help you broaden your information horizons and make the most of your time, not just when you're “doing” social media for your company, but in your personal life as well.   

We also had an interesting sidebar discussion on customer outreach and setting the tech bar a little higher for them, too. Mark Male of the Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island said he'd still be processing paper membership renewal applications if he hadn't simply stopped that practice, using email to steer members to online submissions. We even took apart the old “customer is always right” adage, with agency principals questioning whether they even wanted to be attracting customers who expected face-to-face interaction and hand-holding for a simple homeowners' policy.

And the ever-elusive discussion of “what is brand?” was summed up neatly by our own loveable insurance-is-funster Chris Amrhein, who pointed out that everyone already has a brand—it's what you do, say, and how you relate to the customer. Whether or not that jibes with the brand you want to project is another story.

As always, the advice from everyone who's succeeding with social media was the same: Be transparent and authentic. This can be a challenge in an industry that by its very nature is about minimizing all forms of risk. Empowering your employees—and yourself—to be yourselves is a daring step, but one that pays off in attracting customers and building relationships. (Just ask Carrie Galvez Reynolds, the Insurance Goddess.)

I'll be writing more about what I learned at Brand Camp 2013 over the next week. But for now, just know that in spite of all the chest-thumping reports about how the independent agency system is obsolete, those wise businesses that truly understand and are living their brands will never have to worry about going the way of the buggy whip.