Case Study: Response Options Spell Success for Insurance Provider
- by Kate Kaye , November 11, 2002
Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive took this approach in developing a campaign for a national insurance provider and not only drove online and offline leads, but proved to this skeptical company that advertising on the Internet is well worth it.
The Objective
The advertiser (we’ll call it Acme Insurance) aimed to use the Web as both a branding vehicle as well as a direct response vehicle to sell its product. The campaign would position Acme as a national insurance provider that competes on price and service, highlighting the fact that the company now insures a wide array of customers.
Acme wasn’t entirely convinced that advertising on the Internet on such a large scale would work (this was the first high reach national site the company had advertised on). So, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive wanted to prove it by suggesting that Acme do what some of its other advertiser clients have done in the past with success: provide an 800 number for direct response to the online ads. The number was featured in the Web ads only, so tracking response rates would be easy.
Don Marshall, director of communications at Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive admits, “All of us have made the mistake in thinking of the Web as purely a direct response Web-to-Web vehicle, but consumers use the Web to make offline purchases.”
The Creative
Developed in-house by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, ad formats included skyscraper and expandable skyscraper units and banners. The expandable skyscraper ads enabled consumers to request more information and get a quote from Acme by filling out a short form directly within the banner. The WashingtonPost.com Billboard format, which maintains its position at the bottom of the page as the user scrolls up and down, was also employed.
The Targeting
The campaign launched in February and ran for five and a half months. In order to reach “anyone who buys insurance,” Acme ads were placed in a variety of site sections like Business, Health, Metro, and Style. Specific creative was targeted based on lifestyle choices. For instance, ads served in the Real Estate or Home and Garden sections were aimed at potential homeowner’s insurance buyers.
The Results
According to Deborah Correa, director of creative and client services at Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, Acme is “intrigued by the results.” The 800 number did the trick; 26% of the leads from washingtonpost.com users were generated over the phone. Acme is running another campaign on the site, and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive is helping the firm to solve business problems that may be preventing Acme from achieving even better results.
More results from a Dynamic Logic research study of the campaign (More than 50% of the survey respondents were from outside of the Washington DMA):
By guiding leery advertisers through the development of a campaign, and providing proof of ROI through research, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive has taken a long term approach that the company hopes will benefit its business in the future.
“When advertisers are skeptical of the Web to begin with,” adds Marshall, “and they come into it with crappy creative and the wrong approach, they won’t be satisfied with results. It just makes a lot of sense.”
