Esurance Arouses Curiosity, Kills The Cat

Chris Kieff has a look inside the marketing campaign for Esurance on his blog, 1 Good Reason. In the post, he points out the potential for great consumer buzz created by the insurance company’s cartoon character campaign featuring Erin Esurance, the sexy super heroine you’ll likely remember of Super Bowl ads. Chris does a nice job of summarizing the potential for social media success of the campaign, noting the semi-social media friendly website, a blog and that guys like the character.

He then offers the social networking numbers: one friend each in LinkedIn (not sure if this is the right place for them to play) and Facebook and a MySpace page not created by the company but a fan. I offered a comment similar to the following:

Esurance has missed out on a great opportunity to captivate and engage fans whose curiosity has been aroused by their catchy commercials. They certainly can right the wrong but obviously need more than just above the line advertising working on their business.

The problem I find with a lot of companies is they hire an ad agency good at TV spots, outdoor boards, print ads and point of sale pieces and think that’s marketing. What they don’t understand is once you get the attention of the consumer (through advertising) that’s when the work begins. Now you have to take them through a process/cycle of becoming a customer, then preferably, a brand loyalist. Most advertising agencies don’t have the below the line thinking to carry the process forward. That’s why most agency’s (and CMOs) last about 24-30 months on the job.

Consumers have changed. Advertising no longer leads to direct sales in most businesses. Consumers are more discerning and desire more than interactivity. They want engagement. They want community. Throw your ads up there and get their attention, but know that all it accomplishes is getting their attention. Once you have it, you’re going to need to know what to do with it.

That’s where customer relationship management programs, social media strategies and community building plans can take your brand from owning just a catchy TV spot to owning a legion of loyal fans willing to share your story.

Other Posts You’ll Find Interesting:

1. Brite And Early
2. Are Brand Ambassador Movements Recession Proof?
3. Partnering With Consumers: Brand Evangelists
4. Dos And Donts Of Business And Social Media
5. Are Outdated Policies Squashing Your Brand Evangelists?

IMAGE: Taken from free, downloadable wallpaper from Esurance.com

[tags]Esurance, Erin Esurance, social media, social networking, brand evangelists, advertising, marketing[/tags]