News

RIAS, the over 50s specialist insurer, has announced a major new partnership with ODEON Cinemas. RIAS will sponsor ODEON Senior Screen, offering the over 50s access to regular, reduced-price cinema screenings across the country. The ODEON Cinema Senior Screen has already gained huge popularity with 360,000 over 50s having attended screenings since its inception in June 2006. The ODEON Cinema Senior Screen allows the over 50s to enjoy a reduced entry fee at 94 cinemas across the UK on weekday mornings.

Watson Phillips Norman (WPN) the lead strategic and creative agency has produced a new multi-media campaign to support the sponsorship. The integrated campaign breaks from mid-August. The partnership with ODEON is a first foray for RIAS in cinema and will feature a specially commissioned advert and sponsor credit, together with a selection of foyer advertising and online activity. Fulfilment material will also be designed to integrate with the programme. A bespoke creative execution has been developed for the partnership around the theme of "happy endings", harking back to the golden age of cinema. The integrated campaign is designed to help RIAS continue to raise its brand awareness with the over 50s audience.

Maria Phillips, WPN Creative Partner, comments:
"This was a fantastic opportunity for us to develop some outstanding creative work for RIAS, in a dynamic new space. We've been working with RIAS since January this year, and producing a range of creative work to meet their branding challenge. This initiative with ODEON Senior Screen sponsorship presented a very special opportunity for the team, in presenting RIAS in a highly creative medium. Our creative teams really embraced this multi media opportunity and we're delighted with the Happy Endings theme which translates across both print and film with equal impact."

Janet Connor, managing director of RIAS, said:
"As one of the major players in the over 50s insurance market, we were keen to select a partnership that gave RIAS national exposure and has wide appeal to our target audience. Our customer-centric ethos means that we focus on delivering products and services that our over 50s customers want. With that in mind, and given that the ODEON Senior Screen has already proved so popular, we wanted to partner with an organisation that understands the over 50s as well as we do and provides a service that is as accessible, as it is fun."

This is the first time ODEON has worked with a sponsor for the popular Senior Screen offering RIAS is a brand that is so trusted and respected amongst the over 50s that both RIAS and ODEON are very keen to see the outcome of the initiative.

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

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.

RIAS was established in 1992 and is a specialist provider of insurance products for the over 50s age group RIAS negotiates with a panel of insurers to secure competitive, value for money products

RIAS has over 880,000 customers and employs over 1,200 people across two locations - Bournemouth and Belfast

In July 2007 RIAS' home insurance contents policy received four 'Best Buy' awards from Which? Magazine

RIAS was shortlisted 'Personal Lines Broker of the Year' at the prestigious 2007 British Insurance Awards

ODEON is Europe's leading cinema operator. In the UK it operates 865 screens at 115 sites and, each year, entertains more guests than any other cinema chain. ODEON accounts for nearly one in three of all cinema tickets sold in the UK. To find out which ODEON cinemas host Senior Screen and for film times and dates please visit www.odeon.co.uk