Desjardins’ new policy: a more personal touch

Who: Desjardins, with Bleublancrouge for creative, U92 for digital and Glassroom for media (all part of the Humanise collective). Untitled Films for production, Saints Editorial for post-production, Alter Ego for online and VFX, and Vapor Music for sound design/production.

What: A new brand awareness campaign, “A Policy is Not a Person.”

When & Where: The eight-week campaign launched earlier this month, with two 30-second spots (“Weathervane” and “Hot Tub”) running on TV, complemented by social and radio. The campaign runs through July 23. Desjardins and Bleublancrouge are also launching a study designed to prove how much COVID has deepened Canadians’ desire for personal relationships.

Why: The campaign aims to position Desjardins as being responsive to its customers as they seek advice about their home and auto insurance policies. “Desjardins Insurance is built on the belief that establishing real client-agent relationships leads to better big-picture advice and more personalized coverage,” it says in a release.

How: The creative approach removes insurance agents from the equation in order to show their value to customers. The two 30-second spots both feature policyholders attempting to get answers about their coverage from their insurance policy, which is unresponsive.

In one spot, a man speculates that a weathervane through his car windshield would fall under auto rather than home, while in the other a woman enquires if she should increase her home insurance coverage after investing in a pricy home spa.

Two short online videos feature people using a traditional paper fortune teller to ask questions like “Does my auto policy cover windshield replacements?” and “We’re building a new addition. What kind of coverage do I need?” only to be presented with answers like “Cannot predict” and “Who knows.”

And we quote: “Desjardins Agents understand the value of getting to know their clients better. And many clients don’t even know what they’re missing until they discover us. Of course, we provide all of the technology and remote services that other insurance companies do. But the best technology in the world can’t replace a Desjardins Agent.” — Lora Kavanagh, senior director of marketing, Desjardins

Chris Powell