Igniting interest in insurtech startup

Igniting interest in insurtech startup

Igniting Interest in Insurtech Startup

Concirrus is a UK insurtech which offers digital solutions for speciality fields of insurance — namely, marine and automotive.

Their product, Quest, is made for the marine market and allows insurers to calculate risk more accurately through the use of large sets of historical data, machine learning and artificial intelligence..

Concirrus

Concirrus Case Study

EC-PR Quote marks“Having EC-PR as our PR partner gives us a huge amount of confidence that our successes are being communicated and our industry voice is being heard over our competition.”

“We are now recognised as a market leader within the marine insurance market, and we have established a strong foothold in other sectors as a result. I am blown away by the response we received on the Blueprint – we never anticipated so much engagement from senior leaders and influencers who were keen to contribute their knowledge and insights.”

Andrew Yeoman

CEO, Concirrus

Dangers and Desires

With approximately 174 high-growth companies currently active in the UK, data suggests that insurtech is one of the fastest-growing startup sectors in the country.

Breaking ground in an industry that’s been around for centuries isn’t easy, but it’s what insurance fintech Concirrus had to do to achieve its ambitions of successfully launching a new insurtech platform into the marine insurance market.

Despite the threats posed, Concirrus were determined to release its new AI platform, Quest, and wanted to make sure the sector sat up and took notice.

It was time to bring in ec-pr.

Design

For this campaign to be successful, it had to capture the attention, hearts and minds of c-suite level stakeholders in the established marine community. While the product was highly advantageous for users, the challenge was persuading an inherently change-averse industry that there are more efficient, and profitable, ways of doing business.

Campaign delivery

  • Communication strategy
  • Whitepaper
  • Social media assets
  • Thought leadership articles
  • Article placement

Communication strategy

As this was Concirrus’ first foray into PR, it was important that we began by building a clear communication strategy. The strategy addressed questions, such as: who are our target personas; what are our main messages; what does success look like; and what is the end goal?

Establishing target personas was key, as it allowed Concirrus to acknowledge the pain points, fears and desires of target customers, and address them in their communications.

Whitepaper

Only once the strategy was finalised did we progress to the plan and execution. The vanguard for our approach was the creation and launch of a whitepaper. The paper delivered hard-hitting insights for the sector, propelling Concirrus into the position of a leader in the insurtech field and gaining credibility in a market where previously it had experienced limited traction.

The whitepaper tactic enabled Concirrus’ senior team to collaborate with key opinion formers and embark on a series of one-to-one media briefings, which further enhanced their profile within the industry.

The whitepaper was downloaded 200 times. Engagement came from senior-level players in the industry, including AEGIS London, IUMI, SMIT Salvage, Swiss Re, Whitespace, AIMU (American Institute of Marine Underwriters).

Social media assets

For Concirrus to maximise its exposure of the whitepaper, the power of social media was harnessed. A bank of assets was created, including social videos, images and infographics, allowing the company to exploit the reach of the platforms while remaining true to the brand.

Thought leadership articles

When it came to achieving media publicity, a bank of thought leadership ideas, closely aligned with the pain points and challenges of Concirrus’ target personas, was created. As PR experts, we ensured all these ideas were designed with the target trade media in mind.

We secured 168 pieces of coverage for Concirrus as part of our work, all in tier 1 target publications, which included the Daily Telegraph, Insurance Times, Insurance Post, Lloyd’s List and Tradewinds.

As well as pitched article ideas and bespoke editorials, we made monthly announcements on Concirrus’ behalf. These included new contracts, partnerships and funding, and all contributed to Concirrus’ enhanced reputation as a dynamic force within the industry.

A high-trust media focus

For senior influencers and decision-makers to trust Quest, we needed to secure positive external validation. This is why the campaign was designed to achieve only 10% owned media, in comparison to 90% earned media.

Over the course of the campaign, website traffic increased by 30%, illustrating the significant tangible results of this PR launch.

Distinction

In independent research, 51% of respondents cited industry coverage as the top source of brand awareness. No wonder then that Concirrus successfully elevated its brand position as the go-to expert as a result of the campaign.

Andrew Yeoman, CEO of Concirrus, and his leadership team now enjoy monthly interviews with tier one media. The PR launch propelled them into the position of go-to experts, and their opinion on market issues is highly regarded, with many target journalists now pro-actively turning to them for comment.

The media roll-out, together with the whitepaper, built Concirrus’ credibility in a market where previously awareness of them had been limited. Coverage metrics showed that Concirrus owned the dominant share of voice against their top 2 competitors — Concirrus 50%; Competitor A 33%; Competitor B 16%.

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Our Case Studies

We work closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges and goals, and develop tailored strategies that deliver measurable results.

Our case studies showcase a range of successful projects, including increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and establishing thought leadership in their respective industries.

Our experienced PR professionals have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they bring to each project, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service. We use a data-driven approach to track and measure the success of each campaign, providing our clients with clear and transparent reporting.

Whether you are a start-up or an established business, our case studies demonstrate the value of effective PR and the impact it can have on your business.

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Igniting interest in insurtech startup

Informing influencers’ opinions

Informing Influencer’s Opinions

Concirrus is a UK insurtech which offers digital solutions for speciality fields of insurance — namely, marine and automotive.

Their product, Quest, is made for the marine market and allows insurers to calculate risk more accurately through the use of large sets of historical data, machine learning and artificial intelligence..

Concirrus

Concirrus Case Study – Analyst Relations

EC-PR Quote marks“EC-PR’S AR programme has helped us get in front of some of the most influential industry thinkers in insurtech and started to build their advocacy and buy into our vision.

“The greatest impact AR has had on our business is related to the quality of feedback and insights gathered during industry analyst briefings. These have been instrumental in shaping our new company messaging and proposition. Without AR, Concirrus would not have been able to put in place an ambitious quarterly analyst engagement programme that we’re looking to elevate further in 2022.”

Andrew Yeoman, CEO of Concirrus

Dangers and Desires

We were already partnering with Concirrus in a campaign to supercharge its brand awareness amid the launch of Quest. The campaign was proving very successful and generating a large amount of earned media coverage, accelerating Concirrus to the status of insurance market leader.

The company had ambitions to scale and expand into other speciality sectors outside of marine. To do this, it needed to boost awareness of its brand among influential people in the industry. Having already worked with us and seeing the results we could achieve, Concirrus chose us to help them in this new area too.

Design

For Concirrus to increase its reach across industries and build its reputation, it needed to engage with industry analysts. Industry analysts are key individuals who are pivotal to a company’s success. Their opinions are well-documented and highly valued on a large scale.

Concirrus was relatively new to the market and, at the point of our engagement, was therefore largely unknown in the industry analyst community.

Campaign delivery

  • Analyst audit
  • Analyst relations training
  • Analyst briefings
  • Results monitoring

Analyst audit

To kick things off, we wanted to know the extent of the existing awareness, so we conducted an analyst audit. The results showed a very low awareness of Concirrus among industry analysts.

Those who had heard of Concirrus generally had only heard of the company in the context of marine, and no other insurance sectors.

We proposed a long-term programme designed to:

  1. Raise awareness of Concirrus in the analyst community
  2. Influence analysts’ perception of Concirrus and its portfolio.

Analyst relations training

Stage one of executing the programme involved us conducting analyst relations training with key members of the Concirrus team. We also created a tailored and tiered list of analysts we wanted to reach.

Stage two saw the implementation of a quarterly programme. This comprised regular analyst briefings with key analyst firms, and a quarterly analyst newsletter.

Our aims were:

  • To build close relationships with our top target analysts through regular contact
  • Raise awareness of the Concirrus brand among the wider analyst community through the newsletter.

Within the first year, we conducted 17 analyst briefings with 9 analyst firms and 14 analysts.

We also facilitated analyst pre-briefings ahead of a major acquisition announcement. And, for the purpose of specific analyst reports, we facilitated engagement with two additional analyst firms.

Results monitoring

The analyst audit was repeated a year after the first to measure what, if anything, had changed regarding awareness and perception. In just 12 months, Concirrus’ awareness among analysts increased on average from 1.9 to 3.6 (on a scale from 1 to 5).

Areas, where awareness was strongest, were Concirrus’ business strategy and value proposition, meaning that the brand wasn’t just better known — it was also better understood.

All analysts surveyed were either very likely (71%) or extremely likely (29%) to recommend Concirrus to their clients. This was in stark contrast to the results of the first audit, conducted before the analyst relations programme when the most common reply was ‘don’t know’.

Analysts also saw the Concirrus analyst relations programme in a very positive light, awarding it an average score of 4.25 out of 5. They gave the analyst briefings 4.6.

Distinction

As a result of the analyst relations programme, Concirrus is now very much on the map and front of mind among influencers. Through being associated with key individuals who are shaping the thinking within the insurance community, Concirrus achieved increased respect and a much-improved profile.

Altogether, the analyst relations work propelled awareness of the company, which is now considered a forerunner in all its specialist sectors.

Subscribe to our updates

Stay up to date with the latest insights, case studies, and PR guides.

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Show your brand’s mettle and grow it into its memorable, gorgeous potential.

Our Case Studies

We work closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges and goals, and develop tailored strategies that deliver measurable results.

Our case studies showcase a range of successful projects, including increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and establishing thought leadership in their respective industries.

Our experienced PR professionals have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they bring to each project, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service. We use a data-driven approach to track and measure the success of each campaign, providing our clients with clear and transparent reporting.

Whether you are a start-up or an established business, our case studies demonstrate the value of effective PR and the impact it can have on your business.

XTM International

Making SaaS Marketing Marvellous

ITPEnergised

Net Zero Heroes

2i

Building a Bolder Brand

AzteQ CUBe

Achieving Clarity Through Strategy