Roger Edwards shares some lessons from the Protection Review conference 2016 on how the industry should consider communicating in the style of Peppa Pig or Game of Thrones and tap into positive stories.
Communications and customer engagements. These were two themes repeated during this year's Protection Review Conference.
As an industry, protection isn't known for putting its hands deep into its pockets and funding lavish marketing campaigns.
Major financial services providers often deem protection too low a priority for communications.
Adviser firms are only beginning to realise they can use content marketing and social media to communicate and build relationships with their clients.
So we've seen little from them too.
Darren Spriggs of Pacific Life Re opened the conference using Peppa Pig as an example of how we might start taking communications seriously.
How would you explain critical illness cover to a three-year-old child? Perhaps you'd call it a "treasure chest".
Just in case mum and dad don't feel well and have to stop making pennies.
And how would you pay for the treasure chest? You might have to give up one Fruit Shoot a week to make sure we can feed Schwartz, the cat.
In our corporate ivory towers, we use management speak. Talk about paradigms.
We think outside the box. Have helicopter views and taking things offline. Scoffing at such simple language is easy.
But communicating with people in a language they can understand is crucial if we are to get the message across.
Talking like Peppa Pig might appeal to some. Speaking in the language of Game of Thrones might work for others.
I've seen one excellent infographic put together by an adviser [Alan and Kathryn Knowles of Cura Financial Services/Special Risks Bureau] using The Walking Dead as its inspiration. Hard hitting and thought provoking, it stands out.
Pop culture links work. But is there a feeling it's not professional enough?
Many years ago a character in Coronation Street, Alf Roberts died just after midnight on New Year's day. His life company declined his claim because the policy ran out on New Years Eve.
I suggested sending out a press release, saying the business I worked for wouldn't have been so mean. My boss at the time laughed and told me not to be silly.
I remember worrying that the 17 million people that watched Coronation Street would think that was typical behaviour for a life company.
Helen White of the Money Advice Service spoke at the conference about tapping into emotions. She also warned the industry not to try and "educate" the consumer.
Rather try and use emotional stories. The 7 Families Campaign, with it's 7 emotionally charged video stories works, and Helen wasn't the only conference speaker asking for more.
Jeff Prestridge from the Mail On Sunday finished the conference by asking for more positive stories and case studies.
The [consumer] press will, of course, publish negative stories about any industry. Those stories create bias amongst consumers looking to confirm their views.
If you believe in something, there's always an article or an episode of Coronation Street out there that'll confirm your belief.
We need to put out more positive stories. In writing. On video. On audio. So that the positives balance the negatives.
We can't do this overnight. It's a long game. But we need to start now. And keep doing it.
Every product provider. Every reinsurer. And every adviser needs to become a communicator as well as doing what they do in their day job.
How can you contribute to the wave of positive, emotional and engaging stories needed to change perceptions?
The protection industry pays the majority of its claims. We're superb at telling each other this at conferences like the Protection Review.
Now we need to start telling everyone else. Again and again.
In the style of Peppa Pig.
Roger Edwards is MD of Roger Edwards Marketing and Marketing Director of Protection Review.
