In 2013, Direct Line Group was a company in dire straits. Their ‘come direct’ approach had lost its pulling power and the brand was perceived as ‘outdated’ and ‘irrelevant’ by customers. As a result, they were suffering a devastating year-on-year decline in revenue. Drastic changes would need to be made if the company was to be pulled back from the brink. Their overall business objective was to reverse the revenue decline by 2016. To do this they needed to:
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Establish and reinforce new, differentiating brand values.
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Increase brand awareness and consideration.
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Increase brand connection and preference.
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Increase customer numbers and renewal rates.
But in order to begin tackling these objectives, they needed to understand customers’ needs, the market context and the scope for a new, differentiated positioning for Direct Line. They therefore conducted extensive consumer research, including:
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Attitudinal segmentation of insurance customers.
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Qualitative research to explore the needs of the core segments identified.
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In-depth market-mapping to assess the respective positioning of their competitors and identify any gaps.
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Testing of new brand articulation ideas with consumers.
The findings revealed that, above all, consumers want an insurer that provides hassle-free solutions. The insight highlighted an untapped gap in the insurance market for a brand that fixes things quickly and easily – in short, a ‘fixer’.
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(Please note: parts of this case study may have been redacted for confidentiality purposes.)