
AXA Assistance cuts the crap
AXA Assistance
Issue 25 | January 2013
Agency
Proximity BBDO Belgium
Creative Team
Creative Director: Chris Goossens Henny van Gerwen Copywriter: Régine Smetz Art Director: Thierry Wiebking
Other Credits
Account Director: Carl Van Den Hove AXA Assistance Team: Dirk Gauwberg – sales & marketing director Pascale Cox – marketeer
Date
June 2012
Background
Most travel insurances are general packages that cover both winter trips as exotic vacations, family holidays as well as romantic getaways. AXA Assistance on the contrary offers tailor-made and value-added insurance packages with no unnecessary coverage. The result? Travel agencies can have a more service-driven approach towards their customers and end-clients have to pay less for a tailored service.
Idea
To show travel agencies how ridiculous a general travel insurance can be, they invented Ellen -a happy client- who broke her leg on a romantic trip to Mexico. In her name, they send a simple but fully personalized letter to 500 travel agencies in Belgium, thanking them for the refund of all her costs. Even the more bizarre ones: e.g. the ski pass and lessons she missed, the rescue sledge and even the free nanny for her husband. By introducing travel agents to Ellen’s incredible real life story, they managed to confront them with the absurdity of general travel insurance packages. The handwritten envelope, the Mexican stamps, the fully personalized letter: all the elements of the mailing helped agents believe this was a real client’s letter.
Results
The mailing was sent from Mexico to 500 travel agencies in Belgium. The campaign is still running.