Berkshire Life Case Study
Industry: Disability Insurance
Site: http://www.berkshirelife.com
Description: Created Berkshire Life's online presence to forge a strong emotional connection with each of its target audiences, provide a user-friendly environment and drive key messages for one of the largest disability insurance providers in the nation.
Client Quote
"I'm confident in saying that, by executing Ceonex's plan, we have accomplished our goals... sales leads have more than doubled... In short, I would choose to entrust the production of any of our future web projects to Ceonex"
John Broderick,
Creative Director,
Berkshire Life
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Solution
Research and Analysis
In order to provide a clear and accurate backdrop on which to base our plans for Berkshire Life's online presence, Ceonex engaged in a period of research and analysis.
This stage included a competitive analysis, analysis of Berkshire Life's current site, and research into their target audiences.
We began with the competitive analysis. Ceonex reviewed five of Berkshire Life's competitors' websites to discover how the industry was engaging existing and potential customers online. Some of our findings included:
- The industry has generally missed an opportunity to connect with users on an emotional level despite a clear understanding of this fact in other marketing channels.
- Many sites did not provide adequate focus on brand extension, thereby asking visitors to put their trust in a brand that was not clearly or positively presented.
- A few sites did not have a clear or effective navigation structure, making it difficult for visitors to find desired information quickly.
Our analysis of Berkshire Life's current site also found much room for improvement. Among our observations, described in more detail in the challenge section, were that the site lacked a focus on customer conversion, did not achieve the desired emotional impact on viewers, had navigation and other usability problems, and needed a fresh new look. By addressing the weaknesses of the original site, we were able to make priorities and plan an effective solution to bring Berkshire Life into the leading position in its industry.
One of the solutions Ceonex planned was a study of Berkshire Life's target audiences. The paramount purpose for all web sites is to address the users and their needs. We considered the audience's background, demographics, needs and preferences, and proposed specific approaches for each audience group.
| Prospective business insurance policyholders | |
|---|---|
| Users | Business partners, business executives. |
| Audience | Affluent business people aware of the need for disability insurance. |
| Demographic | 40+ (for tech industry: 30+), primarily male with growing female segment. |
| Internal Context | The target audience for business products has been exposed to very high-end online interfaces and likely has an affinity for clean and pragmatic presentation of content. |
| Emotional Response | This audience is driven by a need to protect their businesses. Likely some spike in sales since 9/11 due to increased awareness of the impact that tragedies have on businesses. On the site the user will have the sense that everything is "taken care of" by Berkshire Life and that protection is as simple as signing up. |
With this rich and detailed conception of Berkshire Life's target audience, Ceonex was able to effectively plan for an engaging visual interface with the appropriate emotional response factors.
The research and analysis stage acted as a stepping stone to planning Berkshire Life's new architecture, site elements, and visual direction for emotional connection.
