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Published on November 1, 2007

The comeback is aimed at raising brand awareness among the general public, which AACP president Wilf Blackburn says stands at 65-per-cent unaided brand recall, or third in the industry.

Blackburn said the new campaign under the "For the Rhythm of Your Life" tagline would help agents and telesales teams more easily clinch their sales, since prospective customers would already have the brand in mind.

With half of the business upcountry, Blackburn believes the television commercial to be an appropriate medium for creating an expensive brand impact.

Blackburn, who recently stepped down from his role overseeing agency development, said the six-year absence was due to the company's priority of first improving the organisation, services and products.

"What you do is more important than what you say," said Blackburn, who has seen the number of agents increase by about 5,000 so far this year.

The insurer has already broadcast a series of three television teasers, working to dispel the common assumptions among its target consumers aged 28-38.

"Consumers that we have talked to often wrongly believe that insurance plans will only benefit those with children or dependents," said  chief marketing officer Patchara Taveechaiwattana. "The large majority of single adults see no point in committing to such a long-term investment."

The commercials try to steer away from the sad and often life-and-death-oriented insurance advertising we frequently see, said Piya Boontarig, creative director of advertising agency Young and Rubicam Thailand, which was responsible for the four advertisements costing Bt80 million.

Blackburn said his company had allocated about Bt240 million, or three times this year's budget, to revamp the AACP brand, which also extends to the dressing up of some of its 250 agency offices nationwide.

The company believes the new campaign will also boost sales, which currently stand at Bt5.3 billion for first-year premiums. Last year, without any advertising the company netted Bt3.6 billion in first-year premiums. Blackburn hopes to double that this year.

 Ki Nan Tsui

 The Nation