Creating Trust with Stories: Storytelling for Insurance Companies

Storytelling for insurance is like the product itself: No one wants to talk up a claim. With this emotionally charged topic, it is crucial in terms of communication strategy to put the argument of fear in the background. Personal stories can add a human element and a positive message to the provider’s cause. Whether it’s a combative claims settlement, visually stunning puns, or a trusting cuteness factor – our three real-life examples show how good stories bring positive emotion to corporate communications. In this way, insurance companies become reliable mentors on the hero’s journey of their target groups with true-to-life scenarios.

Claims settlement with Barmenia? 1,000 wild men fight for an old vase

Do you remember the famous scene in “Braveheart” in which Mel Gibson, as the Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace, gave a fiery speech to his comrades-in-arms? The protagonist in the Barmenia commercial “Battle Cry” is similarly combative, in which he encourages the fighters to stand up for the just cause. Aka to call the insurance company to get the damage to an old vase reimbursed. Only to find out that you don’t have to wait in endless queues or talk to customer service representatives who turn you away. The exaggeration of the story makes it clear in a humorous way what the insurance company is all about.

A subtle twist with vision: Word scenarios from Swiss Life

“We lack for nothing has remained with us.” What is stylistically described as a turnaround sentence, in practice sets a whole scenario in motion in the audience’s mind. Confidence at Swiss Life is very close to real life. The storytelling campaign eloquently shows that the unpleasantly unexpected is sometimes only one syllable away. Two contradictory statements in one sentence – that gives goose bumps and wins prizes.

Swiss Life was recognized for this idea at the 2011 Epica Awards as the best Swiss advertising idea in 25 years (according to the company). The Swiss provider of insurance and financial advice disseminated its thought-provoking sayings on posters, launched a mini-series on YouTube and collected almost 4,000 more sayings via a competition in its online community in 2014. The idea of a good story can also trigger enthusiasm for the sensitive topic of insurance, which ensures the success of a campaign for years to come.

Pet insurance with a trustworthy cuteness factor: Trupanion

Anyone who has more than 60 dogs and cats among their employees knows exactly what responsibility comes with having furry employees in the office. The American insurance company for your favorite pets Trupanion is not just living the dream of many animal lovers. They also know how to tell good stories. In several short video clips, they show how two- and four-legged friends work together from nine to five.

In doing so, they demonstrate their customers’ true love of animals. The clip “Office dogs do a fire drill!” shows that insurance for lap dogs and cuddly cats not only makes sense for private owners, but also appeals to animal-loving employers in particular. Undramatic and above all cute, Trupanion shows here how they as a company are committed to the safety of all office beings and what they have learned in the process. In terms of storytelling, they manage to make the awkward moment of the test alarm an entertaining change in the mixed office routine. In the end, everyone returns to their desks smiling or wagging their tails and the potential customers understand what Trupanion is all about.

Change of perspective at Nürnberger Versicherung: What does life look like without protection?

Just as the two Spanish villages Villarriba and Villabajo were invented for commercials for a washing-up liquid, the insurance company from Nuremberg has also come up with a fictitious town called Nürnburg as a counterpart. Advertising campaigns usually show the ideal world of insurance. Happy people who are aware of their all-round protection and can still smile even if they have a car accident or their leg is in plaster. In the spot “The city of the uninsured”, Nürnberger Versicherung uses the city of Nuremberg to show what happens if you don’t have insurance. However, not with a raised index finger but in an extremely entertaining and humorous way.

You can find out why stories are not only suitable for insurance, but also work for the topic of finance in our article Storytelling for the financial sector.