News

RIAS appoints WPN to head up major awareness and recruitment task

Leading direct response agency Watson Phillips Norman (WPN) has been appointed by RIAS as its lead agency with strategic responsibility for developing a strategy for all customer acquisition, customer communications and brand development. The media involved in this task will embrace press, inserts and direct mail. The appointment is made following an extensive pitch process conducted through the AAR. Work will begin immediately.

With marketing spend in excess of £5 million, RIAS is a major player in the much heralded UK over 50s insurance market and one of the leading UK general insurance brands offering products for home and motor. A division of the Fortis International Financial Services Group, RIAS has a senior team with an unchallenged depth of expertise and experience. They are charged with delivering real business success and therefore need the support of equally experienced strategic partners.

Head of Customer Acquisition at RIAS, Andrew Kennett, comments:
"Our business faces some ambitious growth plans with challenging targets, we were looking for an agency to help us develop the strategy to differentiate RIAS and orchestrate future success. WPN demonstrated a real appreciation of our challenge ahead, showed us some compelling creative work and convinced us they were the ideal team for RIAS. We're really looking forward to getting going."

John Eversley, WPN Marketing Director, comments:
"We're delighted to have been selected by the RIAS team, we have a real affinity for the sector and a true belief that we can help RIAS enjoy success, despite the increasingly competitive, crowded and commoditised market within which it operates. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to develop some outstanding creative work, and there's a real branding challenge for us to get our teeth into."

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RIAS plc is an Insurance Company specialising in insurance for the 50+ market. It is a successful business with over 1 million policyholders and has had 30% growth in turnover in each of the last 3 years.

It was formed in 1992 largely as an outbound telemarketing business with affinity partners but over the last 4 years has developed a direct brand with a growing franchise in its target market.

Main products currently offered by RIAS are Home and Motor Insurance but the brand will develop other general insurance products - travel, pet, and private medical in 2007.

RIAS is a broker with a bespoke panel of underwriters for each product in their range. Total turnover exceeds £250million with commission income of around £70 million. RIAS is a subsidiary of Fortis, a large Belgian-Dutch bancassurer.