Communicating serious illnesses: A series of content marketing events

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

Basic Event Information

Date: April 22, May 11 and May 27 2021
Location: Triglav Lab (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Organiser: Zavarovalnica Triglav in cooperation with Triglav Lab and PM, poslovni mediji
Client: Zavarovalnica Triglav

EVENT CATEGORY: B2C
EVENT SUBCATEGORY: Best Brand Activation / B2C
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID


Event description and key objectives

Since 2018, we have been creating integrated life insurance communications with Zavarovalnica Triglav, Slovenia’s leading insurance company. Last year, Triglav revamped and upgraded its Additional serious illness insurance. 

A campaign was set up to create awareness and provide information about serious illnesses followed by presenting the insurance product and helping our audience get in touch with the company. By providing relevant content, our aim was to encourage relevant target groups to perceive the need for financial protection for themselves and their loved ones in case they become seriously ill, and to consider taking out additional insurance for serious illnesses.

Since the topic is a challenging one, we chose a format of three live “covid-19-time approved” events with conversations focusing on topics such as heart attacks, strokes, depression and burnout. By following principles of quality content marketing, our main goal was to provide added value, verified information and authentic first-person testimonials to Triglav’s potential customers.

Experts (renowned doctors, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, physiotherapists, insurance experts) and recognizable public figures (who had encountered serious illnesses and were willing to speak publicly about the topic) were invited. For each event, a detailed scenario based on live digital event specifics, required dramaturgy and duration, was prepared with space reserved to answer audience questions.

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

Key challenges

Most people are reluctant to talk about serious illnesses, which are perceived as “something only happening to older generations” by the younger and healthy active population. A large proportion of individuals in this segment simply rejects the possibility of encountering a serious illness and do not carry adequate insurance. Subsequently, if they do get seriously ill, they are likely to be exposed to major financial consequences (therapies, treatments, incapacity for work, etc.). The key challenge for us was to encourage the public to realize the importance of the topic. What would it take for us to position an insurance company as a relevant source of information in discussions focusing on the uncomfortable but important topic of getting ill?

During the preparation phase, another challenge, of finding a proper communication channel, arose. We could not hold a round table or a live seminar with people in attendance due to the covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, we developed the concept of “hybrid events”: we preserved the element of authentic moderated live conversation between speakers seated on the same (physical) stage, included others remotely, added questions provided by the audience and made an interactive live “package” available for viewers everywhere. Content and technical quality were the key to keeping our audience’s attention at a time when they had already grown tired of various online meetings and events due to covid-19 lockdowns.

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

Creativity

The concept of “public tribunes” – discussions among experts, representatives of insurance companies and the audience – was transformed into a hybrid event which would not resemble “just another lecture on Zoom”. We set ourselves the goal of maintaining two-way communication and keeping the feeling of every participant or viewer “close to us” with a well-thought-out script, an imaginative directorial approach and thorough preparation.

With our “Apart … yet together” concept, questions were asked by the audience, answered by a public figure sharing his/her story from a remote location and followed by a live discussion among the experts in the studio.

The moderator and our guests – carefully selected experts in the field of illness treatment and rehabilitation – and credible celebrities offering their first-person testimonials of fighting against a serious illness shared their intertwining stories from a studio (set-up in one of Triglav’s live event venues), homes and offices. Our audience’s input was also added to the mix. 

We created a series of comprehensive online events in which, instead of a multitude of on-screen “squares” with pictures of the speakers, we maintained a sense of closeness. We preserved human images and avoided showing people with masks without endangering the participants in any way. The desired feeling of everyone being involved in the conversation and being a part of a community discussing important topics was kept intact.

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab
zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

Innovation

We responded to the challenges by setting up a solid communication strategy and, first and foremost, by producing content representing true value: through first-person stories, expert opinions and celebrity video testimonials we engaged the audience and led them to consider serious illnesses and their consequences, including financial ones, as possibilities which could happen to anyone. Numerous questions posted by the participants in their online registrations (the events were free to watch for anyone registering with a valid email address) indicated that the topics selected were the right ones. Some of this feedback had already been included in the event scenarios while selected questions were also answered later in the live events. Additional dynamics were added by using (pre-)recorded video interviews with patients who shared their experiences.

Technology- and execution-wise we also asked ourselves a series of new questions – and found the answers. How can we create a safe study environment, a “bubble” in which guests can speak without a mask (using special invisible plexiglass dividers, social distancing and strict safety measures to prevent infections even “backstage”)? How can we stay on schedule and include all the relevant audience feedback? How can we provide a smooth viewing experience by matching video and sound from at least three different locations without any delays (cutting-edge technology, extensive training, hours of practice before the live events)?

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

Execution

We conducted a series of three one-hour events. Contextually, sales funnel phases were followed. The first two events focused on serious illnesses: depression and burnout (mental illnesses on the rise in covid-19 times and of special interest to the audience according to Triglav’s web page visit statistics) and heart attacks. Insurance wasn’t mentioned directly in any way at these events, making them purely about awareness and providing info about the illnesses. It was only at the third event that we also included product-related discussions – as a logical answer to the issues described at the first events. 

We included more than a dozen professional experts and witnesses, including top Slovenian medical specialists, therapists and celebrities (actors, writers, journalists, etc.). By highlighting useful content, authentic questions posted by the audience and real testimonies, we achieved the desired goal: an open, emotional conversation and reflection on illnesses.

Technically, we turned the Triglav Lab live event venue into a studio with all the recording equipment and crew. We specially adapted it to social distancing measures and used unobtrusive, nearly invisible barriers between participants. Parts of conversations recorded online were used as testimonials and incorporated into the live events.

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

Measurable results

More than 650 people registered for the events by providing their contact details (email).  Almost 600 contacts were provided to Triglav’s sales department, of which 80% were estimated to be new leads (non-customers of Zavarovalnica Triglav). Lead processing is still ongoing. The same goes for contact database building, as recordings of events are still available on Triglav’s website to anyone willing to register.

In their qualitative responses, our participants emphasized the webinars’ professional execution, usefulness of advice and praised the way in which Triglav presented info on sensitive and important topics. They also liked having the opportunity to participate by asking questions on the application form. The number of online visitors at each webinar did not decrease during the event, meaning our viewers were satisfied with the content.

With event-related content (video trailers, follow-up articles, social media posts), we achieved more than 12,000 views on the client’s website and recorded average reading times on the page between 4 (shorter content) and 9 minutes (longer articles), again indicating users’ interest in the content provided and their willingness to devote time to a more detailed reading.

With articles published in print (native) media, we reached an additional audience with more than 30,000 magazine copies. With targeted ads on Facebook, content about serious illnesses also reached more than 30,000 users.

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

Communication

Each event was announced with a series of native content pieces in selected digital and offline media deemed relevant and credible. Dedicated landing pages on Triglav’s main website were launched for event live streaming registrations. These were also used for lead generation. 

A follow-up in the form of additional content was prepared for each event, including editorial articles with event summaries and key highlights, as well as shorter CTAs for the subscribers’ channels – these were used to invite additional viewers who did not have time to watch the live events. Given the timeless nature of the topic of serious illnesses, we also plan to refresh the content for re-use of text and video in the future. 

Additionally, events were communicated through Zavarovalnica Triglav newsletters and specially designed banners on the “Vse bo v redu” website (Triglav’s content hub) and on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook).

A continued communication campaign with the participants is still ongoing, as well as promotion of generated content (video recording of the event) with the aim of generating even more leads among the targeted audiences and directing these contacts towards taking out new insurance policies.

zavarovalnica-triglav-dogodek-triglav-lab

The use of sustainable practices

As the events were offered online, our production process did not have a lasting impact on the environment or generate any physical waste (no print materials, e.g. leaflets, were used). What makes the content sustainable as well is the fact that recordings of the events remain available to all interested individuals providing their contact information on Zavarovalnica Triglav’s website, which enables long-term campaign goals to be met in months and even years to come: building awareness among the public and providing relevant, useful information while also enabling Triglav to generate new quality leads in the long run.

Join Conventa Crossover Today!

Subscribe to get all the news, offers and related content.