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Esurance sees social boom with post-Super Bowl contest

After the Super Bowl, Esurance launched a Twitter contest with the help of John Krasinski to highlight the company?s commitment to saving consumers time and money, and since then the social media response has exploded.

The campaign acquired more than one billion impressions and two million entries, with 200,000 entries within the first minute after the contest was announced in a commercial after the Super Bowl. As of press time, the contest's hashtag #EsuranceSave30 was the top trend on Twitter and had been since the spot aired.

"There are more than 50 million people on Twitter in the U.S., and this campaign is a great way to connect with those people in a way that is relevant to Esurance as a modern, efficient brand," said Danny Miller, spokesperson at Esurance, San Francisco.

"Using Twitter is a reflection of the company being the most modern and innovative insurance company in the industry," he said. "Everything that Esurance does in insurance is smart and agile, and we're doing it again with this sweepstakes. We are using this effort to build mindshare for Esurance as a faster, smarter, and more efficient insurance provider.

"Twitter users need to only tweet #EsuranceSave30 for a chance to win $1.5 million dollars. We?re making the sweepstakes exclusive to Twitter, because it?s easy, it?s modern, free to sign up, and is a great fit for the Esurance brand. We think our promotion will make us one of the most talked about brands in the Super Bowl and build bigger awareness for Esurance in a very competitive space."

#EsuranceSave30
Right after the Super Bowl ended, Esurance ran a commercial with actor John Krasinski to announce a Twitter sweepstakes. All viewers needed to do was tweet the hashtag #EsuranceSave30 before 1 a.m. PST on Feb. 4 for a chance at winning $1.5 million.

One lucky consumer will win $1.5 million during ABC?s Jimmy Kimmel Live! On Feb. 5 at 11:35 p.m. According to Esurance, this is the largest amount of money given away on Twitter.

This was the first time that Esurance purchased advertising associated with the Super Bowl. Since the commercial aired after the game, it saved Esurance 30 percent, or $1.5 million, so the company decided to pass on these savings to one consumer.

The contest perfectly represents Esurance?s motto of saving consumers time and money.

Most consumers watching the Super Bowl probably had their smartphone in hand about to walk away from the television when the contest was announced. They could then immediately enter by opening Twitter on their phone.

Since the spot aired, Esurance's social media presence has exploded, growing 1600 percent from 8,900 to 155,000 followers.

"[The campaign] makes a ton of sense because that's where the audience they are targeting lives: Mobile and social," said Jay Hawkinson, senior vice president of emerging products at SIM Partners, Chicago. "To think of the millions of people that were responding to their contest via mobile on social is rather astounding. It?s an example of tremendous success marketing towards that channel.

"People are already engaged in social media usually via mobile for big events," he said. "Crafting a campaign around that makes the most sense."

Mr. Hawkinson is not affiliated with Esurance. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Second-screen social
Social media is becoming more of a status quo when it comes to marketing. The platform enables brands to connect with TV viewers and consumers in general instantaneously via mobile.

The J.M. Smucker Company continues to leverage social media for its ?Mug Up? promotion for Dunkin? Donuts packaged coffee (see story).

MasterCard also ran a campaign for New Years, asking consumers to contribute their priceless moments via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (see story). 

Esurance adds a financial incentive to the mix with its $1.5 million prize.

All of the social buzz that follows such a campaign is great for brand awareness and easily makes Esurance a more recognizable name among consumers.

"Customers want to interact with brands in way that is most convenient manner for them," Esurance's Mr. Miller said. 

"More and more, mobile is that preferred method," he said. "We want to be there for consumers in ways that match Esurance's approach - fast, modern, convenient, using the latest technology."

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York