Mr Wolf repositioned NobleOak as a challenger brand, bringing nobility back to life insurance, driving 39% more leads and 17% more sales despite a market in decline – with a campaign that went on to become an Effie Awards finalist.
The Situation
Life insurance is one of the hardest categories to sell in: Australians already buy less of it than comparable countries, trust in insurers was at a low ebb even before the Royal Commission, and NobleOak’s core point of difference – fully underwritten cover at direct-insurer prices – was nearly impossible to explain in the few seconds most people give an ad before tuning out. On top of that, the wider market was shrinking, competitors were spending more, and NobleOak was being asked to do more with less: a cut to media budget, against a market down 10.4% and competitor spend up over 50%.
The Strategy
If you think about it, insuring your life, when you yourself don’t benefit, is actually a noble act. One that deserves the support of a life insurance company you can actually trust. That insight drove all the thinking. Rather than keep fighting for the tiny sliver of people actively shopping for life insurance at any given moment, Mr Wolf shifted NobleOak’s approach toward building long-term brand memory that could be triggered later, when people actually entered the market – backed by the evidence that brand-building outperforms short-term activation in categories like this.
From there, NobleOak got the full challenger brand treatment – a distinctive point of view on what the category was getting wrong, and a genuine mission to bring nobility back to life insurance.
The Creative
Mr Wolf brought the mission to life by harnessing a firmly tongue-in-cheek embodiment of the brand: a nobleman and Bletchley, his long-suffering manservant. The pairing established strong brand linkage and memorability, while attaching a set of noble values reflective of a largely lost, more trustworthy world – giving NobleOak a distinctive, ownable way to build brand preference in a category often bereft of humour.
The Results
- 39% more leads and 17% more sales, against a market down 10.4% and a 52% rise in competitor spend
- Cost per sale down 23%
- ROMI of 234%
- Active Consideration nearly doubled from a pre-campaign benchmark of 6.3%
- Finalist, Effie Awards
The Reaction
“NobleOak is a company that for over 145 years has believed in the noble purpose of helping others protect what matters most. The campaign reiterates our belief that there is nothing more noble than looking after your family. Mr Wolf has introduced a level of humour and relatability to a serious topic that makes for a very memorable campaign.” Anthony Brown, CEO, NobleOak
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