A Dutch car insurer for women recently launched a useful new service. As soon as weather warnings are issued about conditions that could make driving hazardous, Onna-onna sends its clients a text message advising them to be extra alert or even stay off the road. The company relies on weather reports from the National Meteorological Institute, and provides the text messages free of charge to clients who have signed up for them.
Aiming to reduce the number of accidents caused by heavy winds, icy roads and severe thunderstorms, the warning service is part of Onna-onna's wider efforts to promote road safety. Which isn't a purely philanthropic gesture, of course—lower accident rates are good for any insurer's bottom line. Onna-onna is planning to trial the service for a year before evaluating and potentially adding other SMS-based perks.
For companies trying to build their brand and forge meaningful relationships with their customers, text messages offer a relatively inexpensive way to keep in touch. And a powerful one, if used to share information that's both relevant and useful. What would your customers like to hear from your brand, in 160 characters or less?
Website: www.onna-onna.nl
Contact: www.onna-onna.nl/klantenservice/contact
I think this company better be careful where they market their product.
In California it is illegal for drivers to check/read/send texts. Though it's not the most easily enforced law, it could greatly limit those buyers of this product in that state.
That's got to be one of the dumbest things invented yet. Please, can I have a service that distracts me from the icy roads to tell me.... the roads are icy.
Nice.
I think most cars these days tell you when the roads are icy, no? Either way - insurers are keen to differentiate themselves as the churn rate is exceptionally high (when were you ever loyal to an insurance company?) so trying to build a dialogue with customers through texting is a step forward for them.
Bandwagon marketing at its best! Marketers need to remember the rules: "just because someone else is doing it, doesn't mean its right for you…" This platform is wholly inappropriate for this service!
Sarah, Nate & Andrew: keep in mind that this service was launched in the Netherlands, where drivers generally don't spend quite as much time on the road as in other parts of the world (shorter distances, decent public transport, etc). So why assume they'll get the message while driving? It's more likely that they won't be. Also, sensible drivers don't check their text messages while driving. It would be nice to think that people are capable of taking some degree of responsibility for their own actions... ;-)
So can this insurance company just confirm that they will pay out for third party legal fees when you take your eyes off the road to read their text, and plow into an oncoming car killing everyone inside.
hmmm, not sure this one has been thought out has it?