Thank you for being a little different.

It’s not often that you can point to a single trigger to explain a purchase. Usually it’s a myriad of beliefs and habits, combined with convenience, that lead almost unconsciously to a purchase decision. As a marketer, it can be incredibly frustrating. It’s one of the biggest challenges of market research: people cannot always accurately account for why they buy something.

But I can tell you why I bought insurance from PEMCO: I loved their marketing campaign.

Did anyone I know recommend them? No. Did extensive research prove them to be superior? No. Was it more convenient? No. Were they cheaper? No.

They’re campaign “We’re a lot like you. A little different.” resonated with me. I enjoyed seeing it on buses and billboards. I wanted to see what the next profile was going to be. Why? Because the profiles were funny and accurate. Pacific Northwesterners already talked and laughed about these traits.

PEMCO ad on the side of the bus

In this campaign, PEMCO proved that they knew us (We’re a lot like you). They got their market research right. And they positioned themselves in a way no other insurance company did (A little different). This campaign was for me, not for the nation. In fact, other than the Northwest profiles, I don’t remember a single service or product being included on the ads.

It takes a strong stimulus for someone to take on an inconvenient task like changing their insurance coverage, and it’s easy for them to change their mind and hang up (at least for me, it is). The reason PEMCO got our household as a customer was because I got through to a real person immediately. He was actually located in Seattle and his name was Mike. Mike walked me through everything and and gave me his number. Two weeks later I got the paperwork and there was one tiny error. I called and Mike answered. Wow, that’s a lot different.

A few PEMCO profiles

Since switching to PEMCO about 18 months ago, I have continued to be impressed. My rates are a little bit higher, but it’s worth it for me to be able to call and talk to someone within minutes of the first ring. Everyone I have ever spoken to has been within the state of Washington and they’ve all worked hard to get me the best rate PEMCO can offer us. They’re a lot like me. A little different.