Powering Confused.com to drive a revolution in motor insurance

Back in 2002, Confused.com developed a brand new proposition to connect drivers to the best car insurance offers in the market with a free, easy-to-use online service. With our strategy effectively establishing the marketing blueprint for the aggregator sector, Confused.com gained first-mover advantage and has continued to hold its own amid a proliferation of aggressive new entrants.

From a modest test budget in 2002 to a significant annual media spend by 2009, while adhering to the same strict ROI metrics.

The origins

Confused.com, part of the Admiral financial services group, looked to shake up the motor insurance model by meeting the rising migration of consumers online with a sophisticated technology platform. In launching the UK’s first ever motor insurance price comparison site, Confused.com needed to educate consumers on both the service and the brand, and determine their appetite to compare and buy car insurance online. With motor insurance being a mandatory product, the opportunity was potentially immense, but would hinge on generating mass-market appeal.

Confused.com forever changed the face of the UK car insurance market, with 90% of policies now purchased through aggregators.

The market context

Confused.com initially engaged MNC to execute a test campaign with a modest initial budget to give the business the confidence for continued above-the-line investment. The aggregator business model involves working to very tight margins, which challenged marketing to deliver a highly aggressive cost per quote, so we needed to scale the brand while hitting strict ROI targets. We established the marketing blueprint for the brand new aggregator sector, and were instrumental in informing and testing the creative.

The journey

Following the successful test campaign, our sophisticated, response-led optimisation approach enabled us to deliver an efficient Cost Per Acquisition while scaling aggressively, maintaining brand visibility and share of voice over the short- and long-term.

By 2009, the initial success of Confused.com had spawned a number of heavy-spending competitors, all replicating the blueprint for success that we had created. As meerkats infiltrated the advertising landscape, the market became defined by share of voice, creative strength, brand salience and give-aways. But our unique approach – built on rigorous, hands-on processes and bespoke modelling – enabled Confused.com to maintain its position as the UK’s number one car insurance aggregator.

As our creative strategy evolved, we expanded the media mix to support TV advertising to include Sponsorship, Outdoor, Radio, Press, Direct Mail and Digital.

The proof

• Confused.com went from zero brand awareness at launch to become a household name and new category leader within five years.
• From a modest test budget in 2002 to a significant annual media spend by 2009, while adhering to the same strict ROI metrics.
• Confused.com forever changed the face of the UK car insurance market, with 90% of policies now purchased through aggregators.