Disruptive model in dental care International medical policy (Bupa or cigna) expatriates Super-top up plan Co-Pay ..

. we are heading towards it How to make claims? Normal critical illness Plans that can sell well online - term, critical, pa comparison of insurers (22 general insurance websites) Reliance healthwise Maxbupa Apollo munich Star health Brokers v/s corporat agents Bancassurance Dental insurance Limited benefit insurance How to read policy wordings 8 things to know while purchasing a health insurance policy Public disclosures Awards motor has devices for burgulary health too will use indicators for smoking, drinking, years since last visited hospital etc. The growth of consumerism and impact on health insurance http://www.insuranceinsight.eu/insurance-insight/feature/2156362/series-emerging-marketsindia-land-opportunity zone L&T policy wording, PSU policies

health savings account

aggregators assiters or competitor for insurance companies LIC Jeevan Arogya Market share of health insurance companies in India latest Go for a top-up plan If you like this post, then do share it on Facebook and Linkedin.com

Pull the missing piece in a health insurance marketers playbook

Insurance is a push product the CEO of my previous company used to say. He was right to the extent that it was the only exhibitable approach when the only distribution channel of the insurer was telemarketing. The push refers to spraying messages at audiences with an objective of creating brand awareness and for developing a desire to purchase among the public. The approach has largely been product specific which throws the primary benefit or details out a host of benefits that the insurance policy offers. The media is highly utilized in the form of television, radio and print advertising. Insurance companies like ICICI Lombard, Apollo Munich, Bharti AXA, Max Bupa and Star Health have used this approach to build their brand. The pull approach takes a different approach from the product-led push strategy. Under a pull approach, it is critical to tell your brand story the way you want it told. In other words, a pull approach works best and is hugely profitable when the audience can answer two questions related to the company a) who are they? and b) what makes them special? Lets illustrate with an example. GEICO, the US auto insurance major, was a relatively obscure insurance companies coming into the 1990s. In the mid-1990s, it embarked on an advertising campaign built around a single brand promise 15 Minutes Or Less Can Save You 15% Or More On Car Insurance. This simple statement was constructed to define three parts of the GEICO story 1. We are easy & convenient (15 minutes or less) 2. We save you money (save you 15% or more) 3. We deal in car insurance The line between hard content and straight entertainment is softening. Communications (a.k.a advertising) used to be laden with hardboiled features and benefits, humor used to be acceptable only for unserious products like chips, beer, pizza, and (somehow) FedEx spots. But rarely elsewhere. Today theres a blurring line between entertainment and news. Conservative companies need to understand that, says Rubel. What holds it all together is a carefully thought out strategy for your narrative. You need to have a larger brand narrative than just about what youre trying to sell, counsels Rubel. You must have a higher order thing to talk about.

How do you find your narrative? Remember that your brand is really a community of people who share your brand values. They believe what you believe. And because they believe, advocates share a communal sense of belonging. Your brand becomes a source of content for that community (and for potential zealots wanting to join your community). Its the consumers choice how and when to seek out a brand, says Joel Rubinson, former head of research at the Advertising Research Foundation and president of Rubinson Partners, Inc. They do so only if you stand for values and lifestyle choices that transcend your [products] molecules. Starbucks isnt just coffee, its the third place. Whole Foods isnt just a grocery store, it is the supply point for a wellness lifestyle. Brand as portal is the heart of contemporary marketing. If they lose this, they lose everything. Marketers need to connect to values that transcend functional aspects (better, faster, cheaper, more powerful) and connect to the popular zeitgeist. This doesnt mean rushing to the latest/greatest social media tweak. Your real social imprint creates a high order strategic link between corporate values (and the products or services you have to offer) and socialized consumer desires. Quick examples. Beinggirl.com from Tampax answers the overarching challenges of a girl becoming a woman. Weightwatchers is a community of strength to help manage weight and its forum helps peers guide one another through this shared challenge. Threadless.com serves up cool crowd-generated designer streetwear with a heavy backdrop of social values. The emotive touchpoints for these very different ideals are delivered through retail experiences, social media, websites, as well as blogs, tweets, and other output from their advocates mediastream. The community of people who agree, admire and share those values turn to the brand portal for ideas, positive reinforcement and to connect with others who share their attitudes and beliefs. Your brand becomes a portal that generates content that helps celebrate your ideal, and becomes a destination. Those who share your values and belong to your brand community also buy products along the way. And as Tampax and Weightwatchers suggest, you dont have to be a 21st century start -up company to participate. Kraftrecipes.com is a longstanding concept that has moved successfully to social media. Their eponymous site enjoys over 12 million visits per month, and they report over 800,000 fans on Facebook (Kraft individual brands mentioned in recipes also have tens of millions of fans on their respective Facebook pages). The Kraftrecipes.com strategy has been to maintain platforms and marketing channels they know drive engagement through content. Weve been creating amazing content for the last 15 years, says Jennifer Feeley, associate director of consumer relationship marketing at Kraft. It has always been deeply important for us to provide consumers with food solutions they feel good about. What is changing are the technologiesthe platforms, the greater connectivity and consumer empowerment. Recipes inherently include Kraft brand names so they become a form of advertorialwhich has always been about content first, advertising second. Back in the stamp and postcard era, women (mostly) sent their family recipes to Kraft. Consumer recipes used to go into a file, laments Feeley. Now they can share their voice and give recommendations. We curate that over earned and borrowed channels, and provide a consistent consumer experience. The key

in content marketing is to understand what consumers truly want, what their needs are, and deliver it in the time and place of their choice. We use data a lot better these days, asserts Feeley. To understand consumer needs, what their behaviors are, how to deliver great content and connective media. Having the data drive the technology enables us to deliver better content and communications. I would also say that our capabilities have deepened in order to prove out ROI on what we do, she adds. To that end, Kraft uses Nielsen, Google data, Cannondale shopper data, as well as their own deep consumer database to understand what people are clicking, where they engage in a timespent perspective, meshed with learning derived from other platforms (e.g. Kraft sponsored magazines, traditional advertising stats, and other sources). We capitalize on the borrowed platforms that others are creating, interface with popular bloggers, and make sure that our content through all borrowed and earned marketing channels have that ongoing consumer and marketing relationship, says Feeley. The content has been re-framed and socialized in the minds of consumers so that it is more than a recipe share-outit is a celebration point for members of the Kraft community. If the website was just a catalog of Kraft products, it would not attract over 12 million visits per month. [Media] has evolved from being advertising that pushes awareness of your brand, adds Feeley. Or pulling consumers into the store for promotions and point of purchase and tasting events. We try to deliver the right message at the right time in the right way. You really need all three to be compelling and differentiated. Our clients see things now from a much more holistic perspective, adds OMDs Cahill. Its not media alone, its very strategy driven. Its creative thinking that then drives the [media] transactiontoday its ideation first, transaction second. Cahill points to their expansive Pepsi X-Factor project, which served up a 360-degree communications chart that drove everything from real-time red carpet glam-cam, to Times Square events, Facebook, a Super Bowl spot (and more). But at the heart of it was Pepsis mission to recreate and entrench their position as pop star. Along the way, everything they did (in some way) answered the question, What can Pepsi do to enhance the audience experience? Creating messages that actually entertainbeyond simple product placement, is new to most marketers. And despite Pepsis incredible success, weaving media across channels can be a challenge. You might spend a lot of money on an effort and it may not pay out, warns Edelmans Steve Rubel. You want an Avatar, not an Ishtar. Every brands opportunity today is not only to win the purchase moment, but to widen and deepen the relationship with millions of social citizens across time and circumstance. This means mastering not only your brands narrative strategy, but levers of push, pull, and portal when (and if) the brand is clever enough to do so. Our new transmedia channels allow you to steer the dialogue toward your differentiated reason for being, why your company started, your brand icons, the rites of use for your product or service and the opportunity to weave in new consumer benefits, include new promotions, line extensions, brand experiences and other efforts.

Learning your three Ps and turning brand into content may be one of the most exciting opportunities leaning toward the 22nd century.

Increasing your sum insured

The Online Insurance Advertising Wars

Google makes 99% of its revenues in advertising which amounts to over USD 37 billion in the year 2011. And on top of this list is insurance which is the most expensive category on Google Adwords. Infact 24% of the top 10,000 keywords are related to insurance with terms like buy car insurance online, health insurance, auto insurance quotes etc. In the Indian insurance space too, the trend is fast catching up. Insurance advertising in print and television (though a money guzzler) is bound to lose its earlier significance as marketing teams look at ROI. The digital space has become the new battefield for consumer mindshare as more insurers are diverting their budget in direct response campaigns on the Internet. Insurance companies advertising on Google When I click health insurance or personal accident or on google.com, the following insurers advertising messages are visible a) ICICI Lombard b) LIC India c) Star Health d) Apollo Munich e) HDFC Ergo f) Royal Sundaram g) Max Bupa h) TATA AIG i) Bajaj Allianz j) Reliance General k) Future Generali Thats 11 out of 18 private general insurance companies in India that are currently active on the online advertising space. A large number of these players have been rather consistent in digital advertising campaigns and play around niches. For example Future Generali, Royal Sundaram and ICICI Lombard are the top advertisers in personal accident on Google. TATA AIG features heavily in the travel insurance space.

and use Google Search as a primary instrument to direct flow to their website and more importantly, collect leads which are telecalled by their call-centre officers.

Pricing Consultants needed for Insurance Companies

Take a minute to think of any product, service or industry that prices its wares at a price like Rs. 6482 per annum. I couldnt think of one in a world that is dominated by $9.99 per year or $0.99 per song or Rs. 1,499 annual subscription or 5-for-500 etc. One of the four Ps of marketing arriving at the correct price is critical to the marketing of any product and service. I define the correct price as one that makes the consumer believe that the value provided by the product or service matches or exceeds the price charged. Lets take an example -

Online Insurance Trends (by www.InsuringIndia.com)

InsuringIndia.com recently introduced a whitepaper http://www.insuringindia.com/documents/InsuringIndiaOnlineTrends.pdf on evolving online insurance trends in India. The whitepaper, prepared in association with MDI Gurgaon www.mdi.ac.in used data of visitors who visited the portal between Apr Sep 2011. The results were based on a significant sample of 75,000 visitor information like name, number, email id, sum insured opted, family type opted, interaction within the website etc. Key results and assessment of the whitepaper 1.

The Internet will be the research of insurance policies will

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is insurance designed to cover risks that travellers are exposed to when they travel. This includes medical expenses, default of travel suppliers such as flight cancelled or delayed, and other losses incurred while traveling such as loss of passport, loss of baggage etc. and also legal assistance and emergency evacuation. Travel insurance can be both domestic or for international travel. In some countries, taking up travel insurance is compulsory when traveling from India. These countries include the United Kingdom, Austria, Greece, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands etc. (source : Cleartrip.com)

http://www.cleartrip.com/insurance/international_rel_faq.shtml Travel insurance can usually booked for a particular trip or a "multi-trip" policy can be availed to cover a larger number or unlimited number of trips within a set time frame. (India is massively dominated by single trip covers about 98% of all travel insurance policies purchased) Travel insurance can be purchased using traditional methods like your travel agent or it can be bought online. 1. Traditional method If you are purchasing your ticket from your neighbourhood travel agent, then the agent will definitely ask you to go for travel insurance. A number of agents use Amadeus software to book tickets and the same application is used to issue travel insurance policies. This method is quite convenient because all your information is already fed into the ticket booking system and the information can be easily copied into the insurance module at the click of a button. The policy can be printed by the travel agent himself and be handed over to the policyholder over the counter. A neat advantage of this system is that it allows you to book your insurance according to the number of days traveled and not on the basis of a slab. For example, if you are to travel for 8 days, then the premium will be calculated for 8 days and not for the 7 to 15 days slab. Sales commissions to travel agents range between 15% to 35% based on the agents negotiation with insurance companies and the volume of business. Other than agents, travel insurance policies are also available at bank branches. It makes sense, because people go to bank branches for forex (cash) and travellers cheques. Banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and AXIS Bank are major distribution points used by insurance companies for buying travel insurance policies 2. Online method This is where we have a plenty of Comparison of travel insurance plans in India Indiancompanies Other options partner sites like hsbc, Citibank, axis, makemytrip, cleartrip, yatra.com,ibibo Bajajallianz Icici Tata aig Hdfc ergo Royal sudrama Apollo mnich Bupa Reliance Iffcotokio Future generali Oriental Chola New India Mondial asitance

Berkshire Lonelyplanet

If you like this post, then do share it on Facebook and Linkedin.com Online policies Bajaj Health hospitalization, top-up, critical illness, personal accident, hospital cash, senior citizen, Motor, Travel

Personal Accident covers IRDA insurance awareness campaign : Bima Bemisaal The IRDA has launched an insurance awareness campaign branded as "Bima Bemisaal" (translation : insurance fabulous). Bima Bemisaal is a consumer education initiative that aims to educate them about their rights and obligations and inform them of the complaint resolution methods available to them. The campaign uses various media like print, radio and television. Further, the IRDA has launched a separate website www.policyholder.gov.in as part of this drive. In this post, I have highlighted some sections that every insurance policyholder or buyer needs to read and understand. A general awareness of the process and consumer rights often go a long way in approaching any problem or hiccup in a formal manner which ensures that the insurer and the insured operate within the tenets of their insurance contract. 1. Website of general insurance companies http://www.policyholder.gov.in/Registered_Insurers_Non_Life.aspx is available at

This information is important because consumers can seek quite a number of resolutions from the insurer websites itself. For example HDFC Ergos website home page gives you a process of how one can track his/her claim, TATA AIGs home page makes it easy for you to contact them as they display their toll-free number, SMS and Email options there. 2. Dos and Donts while buying Health Insurance This section is available under the link : http://www.policyholder.gov.in/Dos_and_Donts_for_Health_Insurance.aspx Two points are important here a) When you buy a health insurance policy know that there are restrictions in coverage. In other words, IRDA is making it clear that there is no universal health policy. Every policy document will specify what is covered, the definition of what, what is not covered etc. b) When you buy a health insurance policy, disclose details of all pre-existing diseases including major ailments and conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. I would take this further ahead and would encourage consumers to disclose every major or minor ailment, chronic diseases, injuries, hospitalizations etc. that he/she has suffered. This makes sure that the

proposal is completely transparent from your end and makes certain that in a court of law, an insurance company cannot refute claims on the basis of the information that you have already declared. 3. Your Rights and Duties while buying insurance pls http://www.policyholder.gov.in/Know_your_Rights_and_Duties.aspx refer to the link :

4. How to make a complaint? (http://www.policyholder.gov.in/Report.aspx) Step 1 - Approach the Grievance Redressal Officer of the branch of the insurance company Step 2 - Give your complaint in writing along with the necessary support documents Step 3 - Take a written acknowledgement of your complaint with the date. If the insurance company doesnt deal with your complaint within 15 days, the approach IRDA. Step 4 a) - Call the IRDA Toll Free Number 155255 or, Step 4 b) - Send an e-mail to complaints@irda.gov.in IRDA also has an Integrated Grievance Management System which can be used to register and monitor complaints at www.igms.irda.gov.in Read more at www.policyholder.gov.in