Amica Insurance has been around for over 100 years, but the company isn’t the biggest advertiser in the crowded insurance market. Now Amica is making a shift, naming Mother New York and its media arm Media by Mother as its new integrated AOR.
Following a competitive review, managed by Joanne Davis Consulting, Mother takes the marketing reins for Amica after the insurer spent the last 15 years with agency Cronin. That agency helped Amica evolve from a referral-based company to one focused on targeted lead generation. However, after conducting a brand study in 2021, the results showed Amica should invest in brand awareness efforts to move the business forward.
“Mother took a thoughtful approach centered on Amica’s unique place in the highly competitive insurance market,” said Tory Pachis, vice president of marketing at Amica in a statement. “They impressed us with powerful creative and media insights, as well as an innovative approach to building brand awareness. We have bold ambitions for our business and we’re confident that Mother will help us accelerate brand growth. We’d also like to express our sincere thanks to Cronin, our outgoing agency, for 15 years of dedicated service.”
Amica has being outspent by its competitors four to one on the marketing front, having depended more on referrals and its reputation for customer service over the years than ads. According to the agency, the company realizes it is up against industry giants who utilize their huge budgets, mascots and jingles to grab attention.
Instead of relying on gimmicks, Amica brought on Mother to help it find the untapped market in the industry, appealing to the niche consumer who is willing to pay for quality and service. Mother is now tasked with building a brand platform for Amica that communicates its unique value proposition through overall strategy and creative work, with Media by Mother responsible for go-to-market planning and media.
“We could not be more excited and proud to be partnering with the Amica team on the future of their brand and business,” Peter Ravailhe, CEO and partner of Mother said in a statement. “The insurance category has a very conventional playbook for marketing and has largely commoditized its offering. As a result, throughout this process, we saw tremendous opportunities for growth and potential to reposition the Amica brand in the hearts and minds of both their existing and future customers.”
Initial work is expected to debut later this year, and the creative will work across the entire marketing funnel and focus on the human, emotional side of insurance.