First Quarter 2003
Texas Mutual Ads Follow Agents’ Advice
By John Davenport
When Texas agents tell an insurance company that it needs to increase its name recognition among employers, the smart company takes notice and takes action.
That’s just what Texas Mutual Insurance Company did after a series of focus groups and the Texas MutualSM Agent Advisory Council said it needed to spread its message directly to employers. As a result, Texas Mutual Insurance Company launched a new advertising campaign designed to make it easier for agents to sell Texas MutualSM coverage to their clients. The 2003 campaign is just the first part of a multi-year plan to increase the company’s name recognition and enhance its image among employers.
"The agent community has spoken, and we took its message to heart," said Ken Lauber, vice president of Texas MutualSM Field Operations. "We’re running radio ads through the Texas State News Network and print ads in newspapers and business journals. Each ad is intended to increase our brand recognition, while still referring potential customers to their agents for more information about us."
The ads point out that Texas Mutual Insurance Company offers competitive pricing for top-tier services. Future ads may focus on other key aspects of Texas MutualSM services, such as our free workplace safety seminars across Texas and online safety resources that help policyholders protect their employees and control their premiums.
The first two radio ads feature Texas MutualSM President Russ Oliver. In one, he discusses the importance of workplace safety, relating his own experiences "growing up working in my family’s bakery in Vernon, Texas." The second ad focuses on Texas Mutual Insurance Company’s commitment to fighting fraud.
"Our customers told us that safety and fraud were very important to them when deciding on a workers’ comp carrier,” said Lauber. “We believe we are the state’s leading provider of those workers’ comp services, so it’s easy for us to focus our ads on them.”
Additionally, Texas Mutual Insurance Company is a corporate sponsor of National Public Radio’s (NPR) "Morning Edition" broadcasts in several markets. NPR restrictions do not allow actual advertisements, so the sponsorship announcement says: "Support for [station call letters] comes from Texas Mutual Insurance Company, providing workers’ compensation insurance to Texas businesses. Information is available at www.texasmutual.com or from your agent."