In Canada, Aviva is an insurance company that recognizes people are frustrated with their insurance providers. So in order to appeal to a cynical target, Aviva needed to first address people’s frustrations with insurance providers, and to start doing things differently to win their trust.The solution was to admit that people don’t like dealing with insurance providers. Aviva stood out in the insurance category by being the first to do this.

As part of an integrated campaign, this TV spot demonstrated that it takes brave insurance people to challenge their own industry. It takes even braver actors to play those insurance people within striking distance of ravenous sharks.

Aviva’s integrated campaign launched with TV spots that highlighted peoples’ frustration with insurance by showing insurance people being thrown to ravenous tigers and circling sharks. Billboard and transit shelter advertising (in the form of impossible-to-answer survey questions) reinforced this notion of insurance frustration. Online banners then gave people a chance to get even more frustrated with insurance, and then led consumers to the changeinsurance.ca microsite. The site is built around a comprehensive, yet completely asinine questionnaire that reminds people of how frustrating insurance can be, and then encourages users to tell Aviva what they would do to change insurance for the better

The launch campaign was a success internally at Aviva and amongst the creative community, but more importantly it achieved its goal of breaking through a sleepy category, making strides in opening consumer minds to Aviva’s message of changing insurance for the better. Research results indicate significant increases in brand awareness and ad recall, while most other insurance companies have experienced a decline in these measures. In addition, through the microsite and call centre – Aviva has been overwhelmed with suggestions on how they can change insurance for the better.