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IMAS Speaker Lynn Kesterson-Townes Interviewed on Reaching Today's Insurance Customers
[September 05, 2014]

IMAS Speaker Lynn Kesterson-Townes Interviewed on Reaching Today's Insurance Customers


OLDWICK, N.J. --(Business Wire)--

A.M. Best, publisher of Best's Review magazine, has posted a new podcast interview with Lynn Kesterson-Townes of IBM (News - Alert), featured speaker at the 2014 Insurance Marketing and Advertising Summit (IMAS), to be held October 30 in Jersey City, NJ. To hear the full interview, visit http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=imasibm914.

To learn more about IMAS and to register for the conference, visit http://www.bestreview.com/imas.

Kesterson-Townes believes that the nature and activity of today's insurance prospects and customers are changing rapidly, leaving some insurers with less effective approaches to marketing and communicating. She bases her assessment on a survey conducted by IBM of insurers in a variety of markets. Topics covered in the interview include:

Monolithic marketing is dying. "What we're finding is a lot of the strategies of the past no longer work. We're observing that there used to be a lot of 'one size fits all' kinds of product pushes. That doesn't attract new customers today." /p>



Creating connections with and among customers is key. "Marketing and communications functions within insurers and within the entire insurance ecosystem need to be providing that social connectivity, not only between themselves and potential customers and existing policyholders but also between other customers: satisfied, happy, loyal customers that become brand advocates."

Personal contact is important but not always desirable. "Customers are starting to use a variety of interaction points. They don't necessarily search the interaction points where they end up purchasing. In fact, we see an 18% shift of customers away from personal interaction in the early stages of information gathering and purchasing toward web, mobile and social media-based approaches."


Other speakers from the 2014 Insurance Marketing and Advertising Summit include:

  • John Chandler, Chief Marketing Officer, MassMutual
  • Mike Boyd, Head of Brand and Advertising, Farmers Insurance
  • Jim Fiske, US Marketing Manager, Chubb Personal Insurance
  • Dolores Marinelli, Marketing Communications Manager, Chubb Personal Insurance
  • Teri James, Managing Director, Head of Marketing & Communications, Conning
  • LeConte Moore, Managing Director, DeWitt Stern
  • Myra Lee, Vice President, Marketing, Conning
  • Gaye Torrance, President, Torrance Co.
  • Charles Wasilewski, Vice President, Marketing Communications
  • Mark Westin, Manager, Communications & Interactive Media, Acord
  • Barry Rollins, Director of Marketing Communications, Lexington Insurance Company, LexTV
  • John P. Greene, President, WRIN.tv

The $199 IMAS registration fee includes conference materials, continental breakfast, lunch and a networking social to conclude the event. To inquire about a multiple attendee discount, contact Corporate Events Manager Stacey Ancker at [email protected].

Many of the speakers and panelists will be interviewed in advance on The Insurance Marketing and Advertising Podcast, at http://feeds.feedburner.com/insurancemarketing, where subscribers can listen for free to these and past discussions.

A.M. Best Company is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2014 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


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