Branding a Challenger

As Jacknife began work with TruShield, a small business insurance provider, we immediately came to understand the challenges of the emerging brand operating in a noisy, highly commoditized market. The existing brand needed an overhaul to create a more appealing, consistent and systematic offering if it hoped to cut through the clutter to attract new customers and create more meaningful relationships with small business owners.

Before establishing the new visual identity Jacknife employed our strategic process involving research, interviews and reams of empirical data to reveal the concerns and aspirations of small business owners. Based on our insights we developed a brand narrative rooted in the notion of “Here For What’s To Come.”

We developed a new icon featuring interconnected elements to represent a strong shield of protection that functioned as a unifying element across all communications and artfully captured the essence of the TruShield brand values. To further stand out in the market we visually positioned TruShield with a bright, fresh and friendly colour palette. With the addition of modern typography, featuring subtle round edges, the look is a distinct departure from the staid and conventional branding typical of the insurance sector. We made it clear from the onset that this is not the standard insurance provider.

With TruShield’s new brand established, we set off to introduce it into the market with a splash. To support and amplify the new brand identity and messaging we crafted the “Cover Your Ass” digital campaign, which included a microsite, video spots, and a variety of digital ads to help launch the brand in the GTA. 

Working closely with our media partners, Jacknife developed a strategy that delivered tailored experiences to consumers and worked with our audience’s media habits to ensure business owners connected with TruShield. Our goal was to intersect our audience organically through their online journey, and feature custom messages that resonated based on the context and their familiarity with the brand (or the need for business insurance).

To further enrich the program, we created a comprehensive social media guide, which helped the TruShield marketing team apply recommended practices consistently to support the campaign and continue to build relationships with customers post-launch.

The campaign was so successful in reaching our audience and awareness goals that we had launched a second phase—extending our efforts, learning from what worked, and optimizing on our leanings. We expanded the campaign to include out of home elements, new creative, and a more diverse digital strategy to include more regions across Canada. Both campaigns successfully raised brand engagement, awareness, and qualified leads, and created relationships between TruShield and small business owners across Canada.