Direct Line Insurance
Direct Line Insurance first came into being in 1985 and was founded by Peter Wood. It was initially a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group that specialised in the rapidly developing market of selling insurance through the use of the internet or phone. Initially launched it was only available to people in the UK and was the first telephone insurer in the UK. It specialised in auto insurance specifically at that time.
Direct Line Insurance was a huge success story for Royal Bank of Scotland and a lot of its success has been attributed to its unique and memorable marketing campaign. On its launch a television campaign was laid out featuring a red telephone on wheels and a very distinct ‘jingle’ that became synonymous with the product. The campaign showed the red telephone on wheels dashing to the rescue of a person in need of car insurance, much the same way as a rescue service would. This campaign really caught the attention of the public and the result was a hugely successful company way beyond the expectations that the Royal Bank of Scotland initially forecasted http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Line.
As the internet become more popular Direct Line moved to occupy this sector of the insurance market also and the television campaign adapted to include a small red computer mouse on wheels that ran alongside the telephone, thus indicating the public could now enquire and purchase both by phone and the internet.
|
