Esurance
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|
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Insurance |
| Key people | Gary Tolman, President and CEO |
| Products | Insurance |
| Revenue | $839 Million USD (2010) |
| Employees | Approx. 1,700 |
| Parent | Allstate |
| Website | www.esurance.com |
Esurance Inc. is an American auto insurance provider. The company, which is owned by Allstate, sells car insurance direct to consumers online and over the phone offering services to nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population in 30 states. Its primary competitors are other direct personal auto writers such as GEICO and Progressive. Esurance has approximately 509,000 policyholders,[1] and also serves as a shopping and comparison site for car insurance in the 20 remaining states that it does not sell. Esurance also partners with companies such as Safeco, Progressive, Homesite and others to offer homeowners, motorcycle and other personal lines insurance.[2] Esurance has 1,700 employees in 14 offices nationwide.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
Esurance launched its website and started writing personal auto insurance in four states in December 1999,[4] and was one of the early pioneers of online auto insurance.[5] The company website was also one of the first to offer comparison quotes that allowed consumers to compare prices with other leading insurance companies.
In 2000 Esurance was acquired by Folksamerica Holding Company, Inc. (a subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group).
In 2004, Esurance was one of the first car insurance companies to offer discounts to same-sex partners.[6] The company continues to support LGBT issues through a variety of corporate sponsorships and events, such as the Trevor Project.[7] The company has also sponsored a number of sporting events and teams, including the US Open tennis tournament , the Golden State Warriors, and the Pac-12 Conference.[8] Esurance also partners with auto glass claims service provider HSG on a “Save a Windshield, Plant a Tree” program that pledges to plant a tree for every Esurance customer who chooses to have their windshield repaired instead of replaced.[9]
In May, 2011, Allstate announced that it had reached a definitive agreement with White Mountains Insurance Group to purchase Esurance and Answer Financial for approximately $1 billion.[10] Allstate's acquisition of Esurance was completed on October 7, 2011. The company's headquarters will remain in San Francisco, CA.[11]
[edit] Marketing
Esurance markets itself as being more environmentally friendly than competitors. The company often cited documents being available online in early company advertising. Esurance has partnered with sports teams for "Go Green" events by giving away reusable grocery bags.[12][13] About 45% percent of the company's data is stored on outsourced servers in a LEED certified building.[14]
Early Esurance commercials were animated featuring a pink-haired female spy named Erin Esurance, who posed as an auto-insurance agent. The goal was to juxtapose a widely disliked business, insurance, with a popular superhero archetype. In her first three years, the character was used in over 30 commercials.[15] The character was also used on an episode of Who Wants to be a Superhero?.[16]
In June 2010 Esurance rebranded itself, unveiling a new national advertising campaign as well as a new company logo.[17] The ads were set in a faux Esurance office and feature a cast of characters, known as Techies & Feelies.
In December 2011 Esurance announced a new integrated advertising campaign that positioned the company as "Insurance for the Modern World".[18] John Krasinski narrates the commercials, which were directed by Omri Cohen and feature the Grammy Award winning song, “Jam Man,” from Country Music Hall of Fame guitarist Chet Atkins. The campaign is the first collaboration between Esurance and ad agency Leo Burnett.[19]
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ "2010 White Mountains 10-K". http://www.whitemountains.com/PDF/WTM_2010_Form_10-K.PDF. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- ^ "Contact Us". Esurance. http://www.esurance.com/contact. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- ^ "About Company". Esurance. http://www.esurance.com/about/company. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Esurance Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation". http://www.esurance.com/news/2009-decade-innovation-press-release. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- ^ Veverka, Mark (3-6-2000). "Here Come the e-Insurers, and They're Spoiling for a Fight". Barron's. http://webreprints.djreprints.com/00000000000000000013928001.html. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- ^ Stewart, Janet (4-4-2004). "Insurers pushed to consider non-traditional couples". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-07-04/business/0407030300_1_marriage-tax-penalty-non-traditional-insurance. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- ^ "Esurance Launches Campaign to Support Crisis Intervention for LGBT Youth". http://www.esurance.com/news/2011-esurance-supports-crisis-intervention-for-lgbt-youth-press-release. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- ^ Irwin, Tanya (8-31-2011). "Esurance, AmEx Serve Up U.S. Open Activities". Media Post. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/157726/. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- ^ "A Tree in Ohio with Your Name on It". 4-29-2011. http://blog.esurance.com/a-tree-with-your-name-on-it/. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- ^ "Allstate buys Esurance, Answer Financial for $1B". USA Today. 2011-05-18. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/insurance/2011-05-18-allstate-acquisitions-esurance_n.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ "Allstate closes $1 billion Esurance deal". Chicago Tribune. 2011-10-07. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-07/business/chi-allstate-closes-1-billion-esurance-deal-20111007_1_allstate-northbrook-based-home-and-auto-geico. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
- ^ John Schlegel (2009-04-22). "Clubs take green approach to Earth Day". MLB. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090422&content_id=4373940&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ^ "WARRIORS: Golden State Warriors And Esurance Team Up For NBA Green Week". NBA. 2009-04-09. http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors_green_week.html. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ^ "Green Computing by Bank Systems & Technology". Finance Tech. http://www.ecotech.financetech.com/advocate/esurance-appeal.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ^ Ehlers, Matt (2007-07-32). "She's one red-hot 'toon: Shapely agent in insurance ads inspires repurposed images on the Internet.". Raleigh, NC: News & Observer. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32507592_ITM. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ Snyder Bulick, Beth (2007-04-23). "Why Sci-Fi grabs more than geeks; Human-focused content, novel marketing pushes channel into mainstream". Advertising Age. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30649810_ITM. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ Elliott, Stuart (2010-06-07). "Esurance Still Has ‘Character'". The New York Times. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/esurance-still-has-character/.
- ^ Vega, Tanzina (12-21-2011). "In New Campaign, Esurance Equates Trust With Efficiency". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/business/media/esurance-campaign-equates-trust-with-efficiency.html. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
- ^ Dilworth, Dianna (12-23-2011). "Esurance launches integrated campaign". DM News. http://www.dmnews.com/esurance-launches-integrated-campaign/article/220760/. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
