Decoding Zurich Spain's marketing strategy

Imagine someone saying: "There's only 15 minutes left of my workday. At last, I'll be able to take out my home insurance policy. I'm so excited!".

Sounds odd, doesn't it? The truth is that the idea of getting insurance usually doesn't incite much enthusiasm.

Even though the human brain is wired to detect and avoid threats, ironically, the marketing strategies of many insurance companies often lack emotional engagement.

But what if we told you that Zurich Spain has found a way to change this? Are you interested in knowing how?

Our experience with Zurich

In November 2019, we wanted to take out insurance for our office in Barcelona and requested quotes from three major insurance companies. Zurich was one of them. In their proposal they provided us with the necessary information, plus this infographic.

When we saw this clear and well-organised presentation of information, we thought: "Wow! A quote without fine print. These people are transparent”.

Without being explicitly told: "Trust us", we felt they deserved our trust.

This is a masterstroke of brain-pleasing communication. As we've discussed in other articles, communication isn't about delivering a message, but ensuring the recipients feel it.

Here, Zurich ditches the conventional commercial communication practice and adopts a more disruptive approach. Infographics are very welcome in our infoxicated society. Combining icons and text simplifies typically dense and mentally exhausting information, turning it into brain-pleasing communication. And in the insurance industry, that's a real godsend.

A closer look at a detail

Let's take a closer look at one of those little squares, now translated into English.

We'll dissect this tiny piece, considering how human perception works, following a sequence of sensations.

The first thing we notice is the storytelling format. The tale begins clearly thanks to two well-matched elements: the graphic icon and the title "You accidentally drop your computer and it breaks".

Our attention is fully engaged. The suspense is there, too. This narrative format of this micro-piece wakes up the limbic system, the part of the brain that constantly scans the surroundings to identify things that could benefit or harm us.

Next, the title evokes a feeling that any computer user would find horrible. It prompts us to imagine the computer falling and becoming useless. The mere thought of that happening can be disheartening. Again, the limbic system is processing this sad sensation (even when it's just imagined - you suffer before the fall happens).

Then, in blue, Zurich tells what they would do for me if my computer falls: "We cover its repair or pay you for a new one".

Wow! When the potential customer reads that, there's a rush of dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. Yes, pleasure, not just well-being. You feel great. That's the feeling at this moment. Relief is felt a few seconds after imagining the distress. Call it a happy ending. The limbic system continues to command the reading of the quote.

Finally, the official administrative terminology, in black and uppercase: "Breakdown of machinery and electronic equipment", the phrase that we assume Compliance requires. The cortex -the brain part responsible for thinking and reasoning- processes this phrase. When this happens, a lot of glucose is consumed and glutamate accumulates, both related to the fatigue caused by focusing conscious attention on conceptual or abstract words. Ironically, unlike most insurance quotes, here cognitive fatigue is less because it comes after a story that has been intensely lived.

We can summarise this dissection with the following illustration:

What happened

The result was that we ended up contracting Zurich's insurance. I don't remember if it was the cheapest, but it was the most empathetic and least mentally exhausting when it came to processing complex information. And after experiencing their continuous and attentive treatment, I even took out another insurance, this time for my home.

Not everything is perfect

Zurich Spain's website doesn't seem to go through the same route seen so far. Its approach seems conventional, following the usual commercial management manuals applied to digital media.

It's a pity that website visitors don't feel Zurich's essence, that is, what makes their customers feel so good.

We have the intuition (we accept we may be wrong) that it's a page "designed" more based on the numerous metrics every web generates, than making its distinctive concept felt: knowing how to take care of the client at all times, eliminating all kinds of problems, including cognitive ones.

In summary, Zurich Spain is much better at "one to one" relationship than at "one to many" (website).

Four last thoughts

1.

Since the brain is "wired" to avoid pain, it would be most logical for insurance marketing to be brain-pleasing.

2.

To make communication more brain-pleasing, it's not enough to be "emotional". It's necessary to articulate well the sequence of sensations customers have, as Zurich has done.

3.

Compensating a customer when a problem occurs is the best way to generate loyalty and engagement. In this sense, the product (the compensation) is the best communication tool.

4.

Finally, trust isn't generated by explicitly saying "we are trustworthy", but by making customers feel it. Also, trust in this sector -at least in many countries- is more a "key non-failure factor" (some call it “hygiene factor”) than a "key success factor". That is, a company is expected to be solvent, but being more solvent doesn't guarantee more sales.

Note

Has Zurich Spain paid us to talk about them? No, we haven't received any commission or gift. We just believe their approach is a valuable learning source for those executive people looking to implement more brain-pleasing marketing strategies.

Do you have thoughts or reflections to share? Together we learn more.

© Co-authorship: Lluís Martínez-Ribes and Marina Font. Barcelona, June 2023 m+f=! (MF marketing catalysts)