You.Insured

In 2006, South Africa’s leading insurance company, OUTsurance, decided to expand overseas. Australia was selected as the ideal growth market, but it wasn’t until 2008 that it started to work on a launch strategy.

In South Africa, OUTsurance’s main points of difference were the fact that it didn’t use brokers and only sold direct and its cash back scheme which refunds customers with 10% of their premium if they don’t claim. However, there were competitors in Australia which already did both of these, so OUTsurance needed a new differentiated offering to cut through in Australia. So the brand name was changed to “Youi” and the offering was one that focused on the individual. The goal from the outset was to gain inclusion among the top 4 brands people seek competitive insurance quotes from (within one year) with a small budget.

Research revealed that Australians buy car insurance out of necessity seeing minimal difference between insurance brands. Technology had brought personalization to so many categories, but not to insurance. Australians wanted insurance tailored to their individual needs and circumstances, rather than being bundled as demographics within a postcode. This also worked as a business model. Personalising insurance meant defining risk more accurately and allowed Youi to identify new low-risk segments that weren’t previously recognised/targeted by insurers. These included ‘white collar commuters’ who catch public transport to the city for work; ‘mostly home’ stay-at-home mums, retirees and home office workers, and ‘safe white collar drivers’ who left their cars in secure car parks or who drove shorter distances. The media strategy was tailored accordingly.

For commuters, Youi targeted train/bus stations across Australia, speaking directly to those commuting to work, quenching their thirst in the summer morning with a complimentary bottle of water (with a tailored call-to-action). It also dominated the Sydney Ferry network with 100% share of voice on key fleets, complimented with a Bluetooth campaign offering a call back functionality and supporting ads in a commuter newspaper.

To target white collar drivers it ran a radio campaign with a focus on integration which transformed the radio talent into brand ambassadors for Youi. Outdoor ads targeted the suburbs where white collar workers drive short distances. Even more targeted were the mobile billboards in suburban towns. This was followed up by lobby/lift media that would reach the target on their way to their work desk.

To reach the audience that are mostly home, Youi ran specific weekday daytime television creative that included scenarios covering the different reasons this segment may be at home (e.g. retires or home office).

Youi is now the most-recalled brand among people in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane who are considering buying insurance, ranking ahead of well-established brands such as NRMA, GIO, AAMI and Allianz. Youi is also on the top 4 consumer consideration list and exceeded aggressive quote targets by 20% - generating thousands of additional sales. The campaign was so effective in the fourth month of operation that Youi had to postpone media to cope with overwhelming response. The staff base grew from 5 to more than 200 to accommodate this.