Background

Effective marketing is a delicate balancing act. With the average person encountering hundreds of adverts every single day, competition for any prospective customers’ attention is fierce. To make the most impact, brands need to ensure their marketing is connecting with the right audiences, at the right time and in all the right places.

But how do you know if you’re getting things right?

That’s the challenge Cornish Mutual was facing when they approached us for help. The South-West based farming insurance experts needed our assistance to answer one seemingly simple question and achieve their growth ambitions: Is our marketing fit for purpose?

Challenge

Our challenge was to review Cornish Mutual’s current marketing activity and assess whether it would effectively achieve the company’s objectives. At the end of our audit, not only did we need to tangibly demonstrate exactly what value their marketing was delivering so far: we needed to deliver an objective report to the board including clear, actionable recommendations to take forward, helping them achieve their growth ambitions.

But what did Cornish Mutual’s audience think about the brand? How effective was the teams’ direct response marketing activity? And how could we improve their impact even further by making the most of the capabilities and skills of their marketing team?

Solution

Our starting point was an audit to gain a full 360? view of the business, its objectives, and current marketing effectiveness. We conducted a combination of desk research and fact-finding interviews with relevant business stakeholders and interviews with members and prospects.

Our audit identified some of Cornish Mutual’s biggest strengths. We uncovered invaluable audience insights, including the fact Cornish Mutual were already considered to be a knowledgeable, expert, motivated team, with especially notable field-force and member service personnel. The brand also had high member satisfaction, including a high net-promoter score in comparison to their competitors.

Our report to the board included a series of recommendations to capitalise on the brand’s strengths and opportunities and address its weaknesses and threats. These included:

·  Measures to differentiate the brand and deliver competitive advantage

·  Steps needed to create a marketing mix that would deliver against growth plans

·  An outline framework to measure marketing ROI

·  A hiring plan and team structure for the marketing department

·  Top-level marketing technology recommendations

·  Top-level budget levels to achieve sustainable growth

Results

As a result of our recommendations, Cornish Mutual seconded our Strategy Director to their board, working part-time to oversee the roll-out of the strategic plan. They also commissioned Proctors to complete an overhaul of their brand essence, including tone-of-voice and creative direction. We worked with them to present a more authentic, modern brand fit for the modern world. Together, Proctors and Cornish Mutual have built a firm foundation that’s ready for future growth.

If you’d like to explore whether your marketing is fit for purpose, contact us to arrange a no-obligation consultation with our Strategy Director.