How Self-Aware Advertising Can Lead to Better Business
By: Jamie Crow
Esurance has hopped on the meta-advertising trend, hoping to make the company seem trustworthy and transparent
Media are filled with advertisements, as every platform we use is accompanied by ads. As advertisements have moved beyond the confines of television and print, consumers have become more aware of advertisements’ presence in their everyday lives. This shift in awareness has required advertisers to become tactful and come up with new methods of engaging the audience that go beyond the classic advertisements. Enter: “Anti-Ad” advertisements or, in other words, Meta Advertising.
While many companies have engaged in this sort of advertising, Esurance is one of the most recent to join in. When introducing their brand refresh and new tagline, they also introduced their first spokesperson: Dennis Quaid. While it would have been easy to have a smiling Dennis Quaid introduce the brand refresh while effortlessly endorsing Esurance, the company went a step beyond, choosing instead to focus on two aspects: directly addressing the things about insurance people don’t like to deal with, and addressing the fact that their advertisements are, in fact, advertisements.
A Transparent, Trustworthy Approach
The first of Esurance’s new commercials came with Dennis Quaid saying why he was chosen as the spokesperson - he’s highly likeable, and people seem to trust him. He then goes on to say that his likeability is supposed to combat the fact that nobody likes dealing with insurance. He walks the viewer through the advertisement, cuing dramatic music and saying, “You may not believe any of this, because this is a television commercial, but that’s why they’re being so transparent.” That statement is used to show that Esurance’s advertisement awareness should make them more trustworthy. They’re addressing your concerns while also showing you how the commercial is put together. It’s like Esurance is letting you in on a secret that consumers have been denied before, all in an effort to get you on board.
In an article for Adweek, Nancy Abraham, the vice president of integrated marketing communications for Esurance, said the company realized that, “to be a disruptor in the industry, [they had to] address the pain points, and there are a lot of pain points in insurance.” By directly addressing those pain points, it makes the consumer feel as though they are being heard, as the company is talking about real concerns consumers have, and it builds a level of trust. With the addition of Dennis Quaid, who is said to be likeable and trustworthy, consumers are led even further down the path of engagement with Esurance.
Self-Aware Still Sells
While the commercials are self-aware, they are not without their selling points. Dennis Quaid talks about how simple it is to sign up for Esurance and how much money users can save when switching from Geico. He even goes through the steps of how Esurance helps in the event of an accident (all edited to fit within thirty seconds, of course). But those selling points come across as genuine ways to help the consumer out, and they’re seamlessly woven into the self-awareness of the commercials. While the selling points are woven in so seamlessly they’re barely noticeable, it’s still an effective way of separating Esurance from its competitors even further.
What We Can All Learn from Esurance
So what does this trend mean for consumers, and how will it influence future advertisers? If the trend continues, and every advertisement becomes self-aware, will the genuine feeling from those commercials be lost? Right now, there’s a sweet spot where consumers are trusting those meta advertisements for the simple fact that they don’t feel like they’re being tricked; as Esurance said, the company is being “transparent.” If you’re considering hopping on the meta advertisement trend, it definitely seems to be one that will produce quality results. What Esurance does so well, and what other companies can take note of, is their addressing of consumer concerns. They combat those concerns with their selling points, making the viewer feel as though Esurance is a great way for their concerns to be lifted. Other companies should take note of this trend and focus on the realistic aspects of their product. Transparency will definitely create more brand loyalty in the long run.