Unitrin Direct Auto Insurance
[Client of Studio J]
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Client Profile and Challenge
Unitrin Direct, headquartered in Chicago, IL provides auto insurance to over half of the states in the U.S. With big-name competitors, the challenge for this company is to differentiate themselves through innovative marketing. They saw Second Life as a way to reach a larger customer base and prove themselves in the growing market.
Solution
The plan for Unitrin was three-fold:
- Become known as the first insurance company to use virtual reality to reach their customers
- Use Second Life to bring in new customers; bridging from their presence in-world to the existing website to allow potential customers to get auto insurance quotes
- Plan and carry out an event to involve the company in the immersive social network of Second Life.
The Unitrin presence is a scale replica of their headquarters in Chicago: the well-known 41 story skyscraper downtown. In addition to the office, there are also kiosks that allow a user to directly access the Unitrin website to obtain an insurance quote.
The Unitrin Direct Concert Series involved five well-known musical artists in the Second Life community. By including members of the existing social network, the company was able to express themselves as a part of the community, rather than an outside company looking in.
Results
The event was covered by local news and blogs and was attended live by over 200 Second Life users. Requested quotes as well as policies increased after the event and Second Life continues to be a source of branding and new customers for Unitrin Direct.
