If they can’t see you, they won’t find you. As obvious as it seems, searching for insurance shouldn’t be a game of hide and seek. Creating engaging insurance advertising campaigns makes it easy for customers to spot you—and see if your products meet their needs—amidst a sea of competition. 

The right ad campaign can be instrumental in building brand awareness, making it easier for customers to recognize your products. Along with increasing awareness, standout marketing generates new leads, while facilitating cross-selling and upselling to existing customers. 

Strategic advertising also gives insurance companies the chance to adapt to evolving consumer preferences. Marketing can reflect how an insurance provider is staying attuned to changing needs and behaviors—in voice and messaging, as well as on the channel it’s hosted. 

So, what makes an insurance advertising campaign great? We scoured high-performing creatives from leading providers to answer this question. 

5 Insurance Advertising Ideas That Outshine the Competition 

For advertising to be effective, simplicity is key. Take a look at some simple-yet-successful strategies used in top insurance campaigns: 

1. Storytelling and featuring customer testimonials  

AIG’s Amazing Mom creative was recently ranked* as one of the best insurance advertising campaigns by Insurance Business magazine. Storytelling is the reason. This simple campaign included a short video shot remotely in the pandemic, starring a real mom and daughter. With its touching sincerity and centering of actual people, this campaign successfully linked AIG to life and retirement products. 

Simple stories can help to improve ordinary marketing by forging an emotional connection and making messaging more memorable. 

2. Creating interactive social media campaigns  

UnitedHealthcare’s We Dare You campaign is one that uses uncomplicated messaging to inspire users to act. The award-winning campaign was made up of a series of dares that encouraged taking healthy steps, like eating fruits and vegetables or getting 30 minutes of activity. As a result, UnitedHealthcare spurred social media followers to share thousands of photos a month in response to these challenges. 

3. Collaborating with influencers and sponsorships  

Keeping a campaign creative simple doesn’t mean keeping it small. State Farm’s recent insurance advertising campaign stuck with what works—i.e., their mascot Jake—while bringing in a few new but recognizable faces. Celebrity guest stars for the ads included Ludacris, Jimmy Fallon, and Caitlin Clark. Just by staying connected to pop culture, State Farm remains relevant. 

4. Using trends in unexpected ways 

Leave it to Esurance, also ranked by Insurance Business, to launch a compelling offer on April Fool’s Day.* While most consumers are on the lookout for April Fool’s Day pranks, jumping on a trend can create conversation. Esurance’s tongue-in-cheek April Fool’s offer in 2016 was for “election insurance,” claiming to protect the homes of those who threatened to leave the country after the upcoming presidential election. 

Along with starting a clever dialogue, Esurance also highlighted their home insurance products.  

5. Asking for consumer input 

ManyPets made Insurance Business’ list with their Insure Your Happiness campaign.* The ads featured adorable photos of pets to promote pet insurance. The difference was in the strategy: Instead of coming up with their own taglines, ManyPets simply surveyed customers about the health benefits of pet ownership. Their answers paired with cute pictures made for a persuasive campaign. 

While we don’t produce TV commercials, we are experts at direct marketing for insurance. After more than 50 years, we’ve learned how to leverage direct mail to increase brand loyalty by providing tactile reminders, extend the reach of an omnichannel strategy, and boost conversions through straightforward but precise messaging.

Need Smart Insurance Marketing That Keeps It Simple? 

Simplicity is what separates a good campaign from a great one. If your insurance advertising could use some direction, trust FM Engage to cut through the fluff. Learn how we can serve as your testing incubator to optimize creatives and ensure your campaigns are ready to run.