Insurance Marketing
Seven More Years

• Lori Chordas
• October 2018
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Seven More Years

CATTOLICA ASSICURAZIONI has entered into a seven-year partnership with the Italian Rugby Federation and is now the main sponsor of the national team.

The deal will provide Cattolica with brand exposure on the front of the team's jerseys.

Verona, Italy-based Cattolica was founded in 1896 as a cooperative to protect small landowners from hail and fire. It's the parent company of 11 insurance and bancassurance companies, including ABC Assicura and Lombarda Vita.

As part of the new partnership, Cattolica will also take on naming rights to Italy's autumn Test matches, starting with this year's fixtures against Georgia, Australia and New Zealand.

Cattolica shares many traits with Italian rugby, said Cattolica CEO Alberto Minali.

“Rugby is a sport that requires cohesion, participation, talent, respect for the opponent and fair competition. In rugby, the individual plays but the team is the winner. These are the same values that drive the daily work of our company, now engaged in a deep cultural transformation. Fair competition and teamwork are two essential traits of rugby that can inspire us to reach our targets and make Cattolica great again,” he said.

Golden Goal

Health and life insurance company VITALITY is partnering with English Premier League football club Chelsea. The partnership will provide Vitality with brand exposure at the club's Stamford Bridge stadium in London, along with Kingsmeadow stadium, the home of Chelsea's women's team, said Neville Koopowitz, VitalityHealth's chief executive. Promotion will also be provided across the club's digital and social media platforms. The partnership also gives Vitality members and Chelsea fans access to a number of club-related benefits, such as official merchandise, match tickets and match-day experiences at Stamford Bridge.

Vitality is part of global insurer and investment manager Discovery Limited. Vitality pioneered the “shared-value” insurance model, a unique approach based on the scientifically proven principles of behavioral economics.

“Vitality as a business is founded on a desire to encourage people to take positive steps to improve their health,” Koopowitz said. The company helps members take a more active role in managing their own wellness, encouraging them to develop healthy long-term habits that creates value for members, the company and society. “Through collaboration with elite sporting institutions such as Chelsea F.C., we believe we can inspire people from many different backgrounds and levels of fitness to make healthier lifestyle choices,” he said.

Leading the Way

As its jingle says, STATE FARM is there, especially when it comes to brand recognition.

Global public opinion and data company YouGov named State Farm as the leading brand in its Index Rankings for America's top insurance companies for 2018. YouGov's annual review measures the overall brand health of the 1,630 YouGov BrandIndex tracks, by calculating the average of six metrics: impression, value, quality, reputation, satisfaction and recommend. The “Top Index Rankings” list highlights brands with the highest average index scores between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018.

State Farm topped the list with an index score of 17.6; AAA, with a score of 14.2; USAA, 12.9; Geico, 11.5; and Allstate, 11.4, rounded out the top 5.

State Farm is honored that “so many have turned to us for home and auto insurance during our nearly 100-year history to help them prepare for the unexpected,” said company spokeswoman Anna Bryant. “Industry survey results, such as YouGov, are just one of the many resources we use to measure how we are doing from a customer's perspective.”

State Farm's brand platforms over the years, including “Like a good neighbor” and “Here to help life go right,” have helped make the company one of the most iconic and recognizable U.S. brands.

Lori Chordas is a senior associate editor. She can be reached at lori.chordas@ambest.com.