MRIA National Conference 2013 — Engaging Foresters Membership: A Three-Country Solution Using Geo-demographics
Note: The following post was live blogged during the 2013 MRIA Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This post has had minimal edits and as such may contain some typographical errors.
Presenters: Devin Pratt – Research Specialist, Foresters, Emily Anderson – Director Client Advocacy, Environics Analytics
Background: Foresters is a leading insurance provider, that has been around since 1874. Over 1 million members in Canada, United States and United Kingdom. Non profit that
Has been using Environics Prizm software to improvement engagement levels with members..
Levels of engagement (want to move members from only being customers to other levels along the ladder):
- Customers only: Insurance and Annuities
- Members Benefits Awareness,
- Member Benefit Utilization and Event Participation,
- Community Events/ Volunteering,
- Member Governance
Moving members up the ladder means need to know: who are our members who is engaged with us?
How did they do segmentation analysis? Combining primary research + used census data in all three countries to analyze them through Prizm software
Step 1: Integrating Strategy, Data & Execution
Strategy and Direction — use Foresters Data, Environcs Analytics Data, and existing primary research which works as long as they have postal or zip code, privacy is maintained
- footprint
- engagement type
- member tenure
- volunteerism and leisure
- key attitudes
- key survey questions
Insights and Knowledge: identified 15 or 20 segments in each of the three countries, and then looked at “target segments”
Next step: Provide detailed insight into the target segments
Delivery and execution:
- product strategy
- communication strategy
- in-market promotions
- marketing mix
Monitor database in order to fine-tune segments
The premise behind this segmentation is “birds of a feather flock together” i.e. people like to live in neighbourhoods with people who are like them. In Canada there are 66 types of neighbourhoods profiled in total.
Prizm integrates multiple data sources member data and/or primary research, standard or custom geography, lifestyle/media preference: can look at markets they are not in
Have aligned with: social values survey, stats can, asking Canada, Canada Financial Monitor, BBM, NadBank, PMB, social media, Gatourhoods
Benefits of using:
- instantly actionable
- over 15k linked behavioural variables
- built by experts
- privacy friendly
- measurable
- cost effective
- updated annually
PRIZM helps Foresters understand their members
- Foresters has great data, but limited data points, so Prizm can add understanding
- learned that engaged members: more families, more educated, higher income (CDN)
- US members more downscale
Created target segments: for both current and future opportunity
Teaching segmentation to internal stakeholders
- targeted use of this to a launch of a new product
- held meetings to show people how this could be used to save money
Target programming to increase involvement
- select target areas
- identify relevant activities
- develop meaningful messages
Used Prizm to get more members involved: Kaboom, Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Members can choose an activity: for example if they want to paint a school Foresters would fund, but paint and help organize volunteers
Has supported cross-promotion and in some cases shown where you should not cross-promote.
In volunteer activities they know who to contact, not the entire neighbourhood.
Optimize key markets for membership activities
1. optimize key markets
2. identify new areas of opportunity
3. deploy across Canada, US & UK
Key markets: community activities
Lets them:
1. Look at what markets could be good to use volunteer — number of household, % key vs. non-key, penetration & target percentage
2. Can also use these to determine what markets have good possibilities to gain new members
Have had challenges to do this in the UK, as membership is quite scattered
Steps:
1. Broke country into a series of regions, then broke those into markets
2. Then use the target segments from EA to overlay over markets, to show areas that have possibilities
Mission: Serving all members
1. identify engagement potential
2. prioritize research based on opportunities
3. fine tune existing communications for promotional purposes
Helps them reach less-involved US members
Where they had members with specific concerns (privacy online ex) they sent out articles to speak to concerns.