How Nationwide Leverages a Social Persona to Create a Culturally Relevant Brand

Presented by Kristi Daraban

AVP, Social Media

What does it mean to be culturally relevant?

Provide value to be valuable

• Activate on trends

• Identify and participate in relevant conversations

• Publish topics people care about

• Be timely and/or seasonal

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What’s the WHY?

Why would ANYONE want to follow their insurance company on social?

The Benefits

FOR US For THEM

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Where we were…

Previously…

• Broadcast video ads

• Product centric

• Sales driven

• Business first, not social first

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LACKING VISUAL IDENTITY and CONSISTENCY

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How did we start?

WE ARE YOUR SUCCESSFUL OLDER SIBLING WHO IS TRUSTWORTHY, FUN AND INSPIRATIONAL

NATIONWIDE BRAND CHARACTERISTICS

NATIONWIDE’S VALUE PROPOSITION

NATIONWIDE IS YOUR GUIDE TO HELP YOU GROWAND PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL WELL-BEING

KNOWLEDGEABLE: EXPERT, PROFESSIONAL, CONFIDENTPROACTIVE: PLANFUL, PURPOSEFUL, GOAL-ORIENTED

INSPIRING: OPTIMISTIC, ENGAGED, ENERGETIC AUTHENTIC: SINCERE, FRIENDLY, GENUINE

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Know your brand to be authentic

• Our social media persona is an extension of our established brand characteristics/traits

• Nationwide’s history and hometown play a big role

• The current company values and culture were incorporated

• We considered our existing partnerships and charities

• Research on our target audiences was conducted to reflect their habits and interests

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KNOW WHO YOUR AUDIENCE IS AND WHAT THEY EXPECT FROM YOU

NATIONWIDE’SCORE AUDIENCE

GUIDANCE HUNTEREMERGING AND ESTABLISHED

LOOKING FOR:VALUE OVER PRICE

HAS MY BEST INTEREST IN MINDDEEP INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE

GIVES A COMPLETE APPROACH

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SPORTS TV & MOVIESMUSIC

WHEN I AM ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I TALK ABOUT OR WANT TO KNOW ABOUT

MAJOR LIFE MILESTONES

FINANCIAL WELLBEING

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THE TRUSTWORTHY AND INSPIRATIONAL RESOURCE THAT INFUSES POP CULTURE WIT AND INTELLIGENT HUMOR INTO THE SOMETIMES-TOO-SERIOUS BUSINESS OF INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

NATIONWIDE SOCIAL PERSONA

• Older Millennial/Young Gen X

• Columbus, OH

• Homeowner

• Single

• No children

• Two pets: 1 dog, 1 cat

• Uses “we,” “us” “our” as

reference

We were born and raised in Columbus,

Ohio. After graduating college, we bought

our first car and moved into an apartment

where we were introduced to the needs of

renters insurance. Since then, we’ve

advanced in our career as a licensed

insurance agent and we also hold a Series 6

certification.

We now live in a single family home with two

pets whom we love dearly. Our family owns

a small business, and they often rely on our

expertise to help guide them when they start

discussions about various financial needs of

small business owners.

We are currently saving for retirement, but

we want to be able to explore our passion

for traveling. We still have some student

loans and credit card debt that we need to

pay off, while also keeping in mind the need

for to save for retirement.

Our friends think we are very responsible

and they rely on us to provide guidance and

assistance with their major life events like

getting married, buying a house, starting to

save for retirement, etc.

Our passion is helping people who are

looking for a long-term relationship with us.

We enjoy being able to provide helpful

resources to those who can confide in us

and would listen to our advice for many

years.

We are humble, but those who know us say

we are very intelligent – sometimes witty.

We love engaging with others on social

media where we can interact with real

people, help them find what they are looking

for or help them think through solutions to

their problems.

Rainy Day

GOALS

Our friends would describe us as:

• Knowledgeable

• Proactive

• Inspiring

• Authentic

We want to help others by:

• Brightening their day

• Providing guidance or advice

• Sharing a picture, video or piece of

content that makes people think,

makes them want to engage with me

or share with their friends

• Building trust

OUR STORY TOP FINANCIAL GOALS

Retirement

Pay Off Loans

●

Saving for Future

Investments

Mortgage Pay Off

Debt

Pursue

Passions

• Willing to volunteer our time for a good

cause

• Participates in some sport/exercise

• Appreciates things with rich

heritage/tradition

• Music is an important part of our life

• Enjoys posting to social networking sites

• Takes effort to make home reflect who we

are

• Admits to having possessions others envy

OUR LIFESTYLE

Enjoys staying healthy:

• Wellness & nutrition

• Dieting, food, cooking

Joins:• Gym, Angie’s List, Yelp, TripAdvisor,

Young professional groups or volunteer

organizations

OUR INTERESTS & ACTIVITIES

Enjoys experiences:

• Travel

• Hiking, boating, fishing

& camping

• Eating in restaurants

• Frequent travel, both international

and domestic

Attends:• Live sporting events frequently.

Especially NFL, Golf and NASCAR

WHERE WE SPEND OUR TIME

• Conducts research online before

purchasing

• Tends to plan expenses in advance

• Quality matters more than price • Buys products that make life more

convenient

• Willing to pay more in support of a

good cause or if company gives

portions of sales to a cause/org.

• Increased online purchasing –

Amazon Prime, holiday shopping

• Uses mobile device to look for

deals when shopping

• Willing to shop new stores

SHOPPING & BUYING BEHAVIOR

OUR INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATIONS

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VOICE AND TONE CAN VARY BY CHANNEL, BUT STAY TRUE TO THE PERSONA

FunnyCasual

FormalCorporate

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DO THIS

Establish Guardrails

DON’T DO THIS

OR ASK!

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Give me an example?

BRINGING WIT AND INTELLIGENT HUMOR INTO THE SOMETIMES-TOO-SERIOUS BUSINESS OF INSURANCE

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BRINGING OTHERS INTO THE CONVERSATION

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BRINGING HUMANITY TO SOCIAL

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BRINGING IN TRENDING TOPICS

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BRINGING IN CELEBRITIES

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NATIONWIDE IS …

ON YOUR SIDE

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Connect with Nationwide: @Nationwide