Advertising the Groundswell - Esurance

                I have always been very interested in advertising – in particular the methodology with which advertisers use to lure customers in. What makes an ad “work”? For the most part, “coolness” is advertised (or at least an advertiser’s interpretation of coolness). In a reverse-psychology kind of fashion, it is possible to actually trace back what was considered popular at the time (to a certain extent) through what is being advertised. Take for example Esurance’s television advertisement:

                If some communications major a hundred years from now was studying us as a civilization, what would this ad tell them? For starters it brings out many facets of our culture from working out to cute animal youtube videos. Using familiar scenes is a very common advertising practice – it narrows in on the target audience (here, younger “hipper” American clients, the ad is for the “modern” world) – but it is the voiceover that just gets me. The advertisers have honed in on so many of the ideas discussed in Groundswell that I wouldn’t be surprised if they had read the book themselves. The company’s embracing of the groundswell in an advertisement shows just how important the concept of transparency is to modern clients. The narrative style invokes honesty by using a young man whose presentation, while fluid, does not appear overly scripted or complicated. He also does not belittle other companies but is still able to refer to them, while many ads have started to become almost cruel in their treatment of rival groups.

                Most importantly however, is what the ad chooses to focus on once it has passed the catchy intro – the company’s facebook page. The male narrator argues that the way you choose your car insurance should come from references by real people (not cartoon characters or fancy ads – ironic… yes, but effective nonetheless). The ad uses this more traditional form of persuasion to encourage viewers to view the more important form – the open facebook page, where anyone can post comments about the company. The television ad focuses on the positive reviews, but the actual page does not hide nor belittle the negative comments. In fact, every single comment is responded to by an Esurance employee (as was explained to a curious customer in the comment shown below). Even silly comments, like Osama who said “hi,” are replied to in a friendly and open manner. If someone has a complaint the reply message tells the person where to go to or asks if there is something they can do to help. The company also does an excellent job of monitoring this page (this must be someone’s entire job) so that replies are given almost immediately after a comment is posted on the page.

facebook.com/esurance

                Even the page itself uses a very direct image that exemplifies its decision to embrace the groundswell by saying “real customers. real comments. really.” The ideas portrayed in Groundswell have clearly become a crucial part of the American mindset in determining what companies to trust. Customers want great customer service, close relationships with the company itself, and access to accurate information. This exemplifies the “listening” and “talking” functions a company must now perform to be successful. And the facebook page is a completely free way for the company to get some insight as to how satisfied their customers are. Instead of relying on statistics and yearly income, they can see comments directly from customers that fully explain their experiences to make the company stronger and more successful in the future.