Three Questions for: <br>Doremus' Hope Picker
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Hope Picker is director of strategic research at Doremus, a business-to-business communications agency in New York. Doremus and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University in Hanover, N.H., recently partnered to create the “Doremus/Tuck Communications Effectiveness Index,” which deals with how individual industries—including commercial insurers—communicate with their target audiences. Ms. Picker recently discussed the study's implications for the commercial insurance industry with Business Insurance Senior Editor Mark A. Hofmann.
Q: What was the purpose of the study, and how and when was it conducted?
The purpose of the Doremus/Tuck business communications study was to understand the elements of effective communications across different industries and audiences, to assess the impact of those elements, and to evaluate companies and provide a diagnostic perspective on the overall effectiveness of their communications, thus creating the first-ever Communications Effectiveness Index.
Initial research was conducted by Doremus and Tuck in late 2010 and early 2011, and was updated in December 2011 and January 2012. While there are many studies that rate companies' brands or reputations, there do not seem to be any other studies that specifically evaluate communications. The centerpiece of the study is a survey of business decision-makers across a variety of industries. They answered questions about awareness of companies' communications, and rated those they were familiar with on a battery of eight attributes of effective communications, as well as on three measures of persuasion/motivation. The analysis uncovered how the various attributes drive persuasion and spotlight how companies can improve.
Q: What specifically did the study reveal about commercial insurers? What are their communication weaknesses and strengths?
Although a couple of individual companies had very high awareness, recall of communications from insurers was lower than most other industries, on average. This may be a reflection of the importance of the role of the broker and a relatively lower level of direct communication from carriers to business buyers. The study also suggests that, compared with other b-to-b industries, commercial insurers perform a bit below average in terms of communications that persuade decision-makers to learn more about them or to buy or recommend them.
Q. What does the study suggest that commercial insurers to do to get their message across more effectively?
Insurance decision-makers put a premium on communications that foster a conversation rather than just being “talked at.” This makes sense for a product as complex as many insurance products are. Insurance is often a long-term commitment, particularly on the claims end, and is a consultative sell—albeit typically through an intermediary. It's also an important purchase, and probably more considered than most, so a simplistic or directive communication strategy is not going to be attractive to buyers.
The second most important attribute in this category is communicating with honesty and integrity. While trust is important in all b-to-b relationships, it is especially critical for insurance. When you need your insurer, generally you really need your insurer. So being able to trust their communications becomes extremely important in avoiding bad experiences down the road.
For more information regarding the study and resulting Communications Effectiveness Index, please contact Hope Picker at hpicker@doremus.com or 212-366-3671.
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