The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Liberty Mutual Most Effective Auto Insurance Advertiser in Last Year, According to Ace Metrix


liberty mutual

LOS ANGELES--Ace Metrix, the authority in television advertising effectiveness, today released an industry report on automotive insurance ads, which found Liberty Mutual to be the most effective auto insurance advertiser in both the last year and the last quarter. The insurer's anti-texting while driving ad featuring Oprah Winfrey was the most effective auto insurance ad in the last year. The anti-texting theme was also employed by Allstate's 'Joi Carter: X the Text' ad, which was the second-most effective auto insurance ad in the last year.

“Oprah Winfrey: Think You Can Text and Drive”

The Ace Metrix Auto Insurance Advertising Effectiveness Report reviews the effectiveness of the 136 different auto insurance ads that have run in the last year from companies that include Allstate, Esurance, Geico, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, Progressive, State Farm and 21st Century.

"Once again this demonstrates that in order for an ad to reach maximum effectiveness it must deliver a relevant message to a wide audience. Both of the anti-texting ads scored high attention scores with an educational message that resonated across a wide cross-section of Americans," said Peter Daboll, chief executive of Ace Metrix. "And, we know from our previous study around celebrity ads that Oprah is viewed as a particularly credible spokesperson for this issue."

Top Five Most Effective Auto Insurance Ads of the Last Year*

Brand       Ad Title      

Air
Date

   

Overall
Ace
Score

Liberty Mutual      

Oprah Winfrey: Think You Can Text and Drive

      5/7/2010    

653

Allstate       Joi Carter: X the Text       9/20/2010       607
Liberty Mutual       Woman Saves Man Walking Into Traffic       6/5/2010       602
Liberty Mutual       Car Explodes       1/1/2011       592
Allstate       Mayhem is an Out-of-Date GPS       1/4/2011       575

*Definition: Ace Score is the measure of ad creative effectiveness based on viewer reaction to national TV ads. Respondents are randomly selected and representative of the U.S. TV viewing audience. The results are presented on a scale of 0-950, which represents scoring on creative attributes such as relevance, persuasion, watchability, information, attention, etc. Based on Ace Metrix data collected from January 2009.

Auto Insurance Brands Continue Ad Battle

According to J.D. Power and Associates, advertising spending for insurance in 2009 ballooned to $4.15 billion with a large portion of that coming from Auto Insurance. This rate of growth outpaced all other ad categories combined and shows no signs of slowing as the auto brands continue to battle for consumer attention.

Ace Metrix data shows that Liberty Mutual is winning the brand battle with a strategy centered around running fewer separate creative executions, while Allstate, Progressive, State Farm, and Geico are using a wide variety of campaigns and creatives.

Most Effective Auto Insurance Advertising by Brand

Brand          

Number of
Ads Rated

         

Average
Ace Score

Liberty Mutual           6           576
Progressive         13           515
21st Century           3           507
Allstate           41           505
Nationwide           6           495
State Farm Auto           20           471
Geico           42           471
Esurance           9           454

Note: The measure of ad effectiveness is a more robust measure than mere popularity and takes into account such criteria as an ad's watchability, likeability, relevance, information, persuasiveness, ability to alter opinion, and ability to create desire.