Develop the GISC brand and guidelines

Aim

Develop the GISC brand so as to be relevant for all media

Background

The City of London-based General Insurance Standards Council (GISC) was founded to fulfil the Government requirement for a single independent non-statutory body regulating the selling of General Insurance in the UK. GISC membership comprised organisations involved in the advising on and selling of general insurance. All members were to use the brand in all material, including press, radio and TV advertising.

Strategy

Metropolis 2 recognised that members would look to keep costs low in terms of having to use the GISC brand and, in so doing, may damage the appearance and thus reputation of the organisation. It was therefore decided that the agency would develop brand guidelines to manage the use of the brand.

Campaign

The Birmingham-based PR & marketing agency agreed with the GISC board a number of brand formats and how the brand should be positioned in visual material or referred to in audio media. The guidelines and formats were copied to CD-ROMs and issued to the members. The guidelines were also made available on the GISC website in a downloadable format. One variant enabled members to run their letterhead through a laser printer and overprint the brand, dispensing with the need to have new stationery printed. A plaque bearing the brand was supplied to each member for display in head office or branch as part of the membership pack and window decals were offered too.

Results

The brand was soon visible to consumers in numerous branches of insurance providers, brokers and intermediaries. It could also be seen on a regular basis in the TV advertising of the big insurers, which significantly raised awareness of the organisation and its remit of consumer protection. The brand was also safeguarded in that it always appeared in the approved format or was referred to in the approved terms.