In this week’s edition of There’s an App for That we take a look at a collection of insurance industry mobile apps. Some take a stab at expected functions like accident reports and roadside troubles, while others are a bit less… direct in their approach. If you’re an insurance industry professional planning a mobile strategy remember that duplicating the functionality of your existing web properties should be considered the bare minimum, not the end-game. Here’s what some forward thinking insurance brands have done.
Progressive: Flo-isms
In case you didn’t get enough of her during the last commercial break, Progressive’s quirky Flo-isms app provides users with a never-ending stream of one-liners. Scroll through your favorite quotes or shake your phone to play random sayings like, “Would you like one great big bag or two still pretty bags?”
Flo is not just rambling about insurance, she’s repeating the tag lines that consumers love. Progressive also throws in a few “hard sell” options like “Sign Up for Great Offers” and “Forward to a Friend.”
AAA Insurance
AAA’s app has a straightforward and helpful set of functions. Request a tow truck using the GPS location on your iPhone, collect important info at the scene of the accident, and even email a copy of the accident report to a claims adjuster or other concerned party. AAA’s app is basic and accomplished what the user expects, but doesn’t do much beyond that to pique consumer interest.
StateFarm: Driver Feedback
It’s one thing when your significant other tells you you’re a bad driver. But when this accelerometer-powered app says you could use some improvement behind the wheel, maybe it’s time to listen.
StateFarm’s Driver Feedback app measures your acceleration, braking and cornering to see how you rank with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s three riskiest driving behaviors: hard acceleration, hard deceleration and hard swerves.
Users receive a driving score and are offered tips on how to become a safer driver – making this app both fun and functional.
Geico BroStache
What do BroStaches have to do with auto insurance? Pretty much nothing, but that’s not to say Geico’s BroStache app doesn’t connect consumers to the company. You’ve probably seen the commercials – or maybe you’ve busted out this app at a bar to get a BroStache-induced laugh from friends.
BroStache is a pretty simple concept. Download the app, press the start button and hold the app up to your mouth. Your phone will recreate mouth movements based on sound so that the BroStache moves with your words. The app comes with just one handlebar mustache – to unlock more ‘stache styles, you simply have to share the app on Twitter or Facebook. It’s ingenious social sharing, bro.
In the end BroStache is a campaign, not a utility, and that gives it a shelf life. It’s also an incredibly simple and low cost way to squeeze more marketing juice out of the digital channel.
Allstate: Good Hands Roadside Assistance App
Good Hands is one app you’ll want when you run into roadside troubles.
When a user in peril opens the app, they are initially prompted with the question, “are you safe?” and given an option to call 911.
Assuming it’s not a life or death emergency the user can select the kind of trouble they are having (battery, flat tire, lock out, etc…) and help will be on the way with a tap. The Allstate provider network utilizes GPS data to expedite roadside assistance with no phone calls necessary. When we conceptualized this app in early 2008 it was totally unique – now it seems like a bare bones requirement for a major automotive insurance provider.
What has your experience been with mobile apps for insurance providers?
