Direct General, one of the nation’s largest car insurance providers, has recently embarked on an extensive marketing campaign geared towards low-income prospective clients.
The Nashville-based company sought the help of Cramer-Krasselt/New York with its recent ad campaign, making use of the July 4th holiday weekend and the summer holiday season to reach out to potential policy holders.
Direct General’s campaign was conceived in light of new data from a survey conducted by the company on the willingness of drivers to drive despite the absence of insurance. A research by the company revealed that up to 39 percent of motorists said that they will continue to drive even without insurance. The same survey also reported that a third of the respondents believed that forty percent of motorists have no insurance.
Earlier this year, the Insurance Research Institute (IRI) also conducted a survey on the actual percentage of uninsured motorists. The institute discovered that the number of uninsured drivers on the road has increased dramatically and it is expected that up to a sixth of the nation’s drivers may be uninsured by 2010.
Craig Hamway, Direct General’s Executive Vice President for Marketing and Business Development, says that the ad campaign is set to increase awareness for uninsured drivers. He claims that the company is devoted to providing insurance coverage to interested drivers, regardless of their financial standing or history.
The economic recession is forcing many Americans to forgo renewing or acquiring insurance as a means to cut back on expenses. Hamway says that the company has set aside resources for the campaign to last indefinitely.
Last year, Direct General spent some $12 million on ads, according to Nielson Monitor-Plus. The current campaign will make use of TV and radio spots, as well as print media and billboards for the 13 states it is active in.
