Lawyers have catchy advertising – why can’t legal expense insurers?
For Barbara Haynes, CEO and president of DAS Canada, being proactive in brand promotion is crucial to success in the industry.
“We do quite a bit of public relations, on television, radio, ” Haynes told InsuranceBusiness.ca. “We are very proactive in maintaining a high brand profile in the market. The contest was an innovative and unprecedented way for us to shine a light on the very important issue of access to justice; we've gained national media exposure and reached millions of Canadians highlighting legal expense insurance as an affordable option to mitigate unexpected legal expenses.”
DAS Canada, a specialty legal expense insurer, just wrapped up its DAS Day In Court contest, having contacted the winners over the weekend with the good news that they had won $5,000 in paid legal representation.
The names of the five Canadians who won their day in court will be released once each winner has had their day in court. (continued.)
#pb#
“When those disputes are resolved, we will announce the winners,” Haynes told InsuranceBusiness.ca. “I do know the contest gave us a pretty good response, raising our brand awareness. The DAS Day In Court has driven national awareness of legal expense insurance and generated significant media coverage for DAS Canada. We've had a major spike in web traffic with hundreds of unique visitors to the DAS DC page.”
Contests and promotions are a great tool for business to attract new customers – but it is seldom taken advantage of by those in the insurance industry.
“The expectation of fairness and access to justice is a quintessential Canadian quality,” said Haynes. “Canada currently places 16th of 66 countries in access to civil justice. It is a much bigger issue than we will be able to address through DAS Day In Court, but we believe that enabling even five Canadians to get their due process is a step in the right direction. The contest is a great way to promote due process, and to maintain our public profile.” (continued.)
#pb#
According to statistics from DAS Canada, the average cost of one hour of a lawyer’s time can be $360.
“The legal expense insurance product offered by DAS Canada is a viable option for individuals and small businesses to achieve affordable access to justice,” said John Hoyles, CEO of the Canadian Bar Association. “Awarding five Canadians their day in court is an excellent way to put this important issue in the public eye through news media and the personal stories of the winners.”
