Insurance rivals ditch product for brand sell

BANGKOK: Thailand's top two insurance companies have launched new campaigns, moving away from product-based advertising to better connect with consumers.

Signalling a departure from previous campaigns, which revolved around the consequences of fatalities, market leader AIA's new print and outdoor blitz looks to raise awareness of the company's positioning.

"Most insurance customers and the general public have limited knowledge of AIA corporate; most of the facts they know are product-focused," said Amornpimol Thanakitamnuay, managing director of M&C Saatchi, which developed the campaign.

"Also, with most companies using '#1', 'leader' etc in their campaigns, there is no clear understanding of who really is the market leader."

According to data from the Thai Life Assurance Association, AIA is the largest life insurer, with 41 per cent market share, followed by Thai Life Insurance, with 16 per cent market share.

Entitled 'Victory', the AIA drive uses the tagline 'Wherever you are, you are Number 1'. The ad shows AIA staff going about regular day-to-day activities, and has been inserted in various Thai newspapers and adapted for out-of-home media.

Key competitor Thai Life, meanwhile, has launched a TV campaign that brings its sales agents centre-stage.

"In an attempt to make Thai Life's peace-of-mind line of communication more streamlined and tangible, we decided to build an emotional bond with the Thai public through the sales agents," explained Rati Panthawi, management partner, Ogilvy & Mather Thailand.

"The ad will also the lift the image of an insurance agent by showing him as a youngster who cares more about people around him than just fame and money."

The 90-second TVC, titled 'Piano', depicts an elderly ex-pianist who cannot practice due to a paralysed hand. The insurance agent, in a role of a young caretaker, spends five years learning how to play the piano just so that she can 'lend a hand' to the old lady and they can play as one.