Gerber Life Guaranteed Issue TV Advertisement

[gerano]

Has anyone seen the Gerber Life Guaranteed Issue life insurance television advertisement?

Gerber Guaranteed Life Insurance TV Commercial, 'Protect Your Family'

As you can see, the link below allows the television respondent to apply directly without being referred to a licensed local agent.

Guaranteed Life Insurance | Guaranteed Acceptance | Gerber Life Insurance

There are going to be those individuals who'll visit their website after learning about the product from you and they may very well purchase the product directly from Gerber.

Try to close them during your first appointment or visit. Otherwise they may purchase it without your help.

I miss having Vantis in my corner.

 

[NinjaNic]

Gerber was a direct writer well before they allowed agents to sell the product. They have limitations on agents marketing the products online because the agent would be competing with them. Not a new thing, there are many carriers these days competing with agents. I still believe though that even if a carrier is marketing direct, consumers are smart enough to shop around.

 

[rousemark]

Have no problem with it as long as they do not denigrate agents or imply dealing with an agent is a bad thing like Sagicor does.

 

[gerano]

Yes, they've been around a long time and they've always made their product available through some means but a television advertisement may be a game changer. This will have some impact, measurable or immeasurable, on an agent's efforts and income. This is not something to simply disregard. States like Delaware have very few available carriers for such products.

 

[TampaHound]

I still believe though that even if a carrier is marketing direct, consumers are smart enough to shop around.

You have more faith in people than I do. The insurance company is betting on people not shopping around. How many healthy folks are in a GI policy that really don't have to be and are paying more for it?

Plus I can't help but wonder how many people buy into these policies not realizing they are non-replacement and drop an existing policy? I just got off the phone with a woman that was wanting to do exactly that because she saw an ad on TV.

 

[VolAgent]

Yes, they've been around a long time and they've always made their product available through some means but a television advertisement may be a game changer. This will have some impact, measurable or immeasurable, on an agent's efforts and income. This is not something to simply disregard. States like Delaware have very few available carriers for such products.

Gerber has been advertising on TV for a long, long time. I believe it was primarily the plans for children, but that doesn't change the fact they have advertised on TV.

It was a game changer for Gerber to even allow agent sales. I wouldn't get too hung up on the fact they are advertising their adult GI product on TV as well.

 

[VolAgent]

You have more faith in people than I do. The insurance company is betting on people not shopping around. How many healthy folks are in a GI policy that really don't have to be and are paying more for it?

Plus I can't help but wonder how many people buy into these policies not realizing they are non-replacement and drop an existing policy? I just got off the phone with a woman that was wanting to do exactly that because she saw an ad on TV.

Gerber does allow replacement in some states, Florida is one where they don't.

Also, do replacement forms apply to the company when writing directly? I believe that is more of a producer thing because of churning in the past. A.L. Williams was responsible for a lot of it, but definitely not all.

 

[gerano]

Gerber has been advertising on TV for a long, long time. I believe it was primarily the plans for children, but that doesn't change the fact they have advertised on TV.

It was a game changer for Gerber to even allow agent sales. I wouldn't get too hung up on the fact they are advertising their adult GI product on TV as well.

I see this as just the beginning. In just the past 9 months I've seen new ads from several other carriers such as Mass Mutual, Senior Life, Mutual of Omaha, MetLife, and others. I can only imagine what the thousands of travel agents on every street corner were thinking when they started seeing ads from airlines, cruise ships, hotels, casinos, and others who offered the same services as the local travel agent. There was once a travel agent on every street corner. Insurance is a digital product. It no longer needs the eyes and ears of its dedicated producers. One day it'll be offered in a cereal box or a TV dinner knowing that these consumers are convenience shoppers. I hope I'm wrong. Time will tell.

 

[NSRH]

Be thankful for the television commercial. Thats the only way they are writing healthy people to off set the adverse risk that the indy agents are exclusively sending their way.

 

[VolAgent]

I see this as just the beginning. In just the past 9 months I've seen new ads from several other carriers such as Mass Mutual, Senior Life, Mutual of Omaha, MetLife, and others. I can only imagine what the thousands of travel agents on every street corner were thinking when they started seeing ads from airlines, cruise ships, hotels, casinos, and others who offered the same services as the local travel agent. There was once a travel agent on every street corner. Insurance is a digital product. It no longer needs the eyes and ears of its dedicated producers. One day it'll be offered in a cereal box or a TV dinner knowing that these consumers are convenience shoppers. I hope I'm wrong. Time will tell.

1. Direct to Consumer advertising is not what killed most travel agents. It was Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, etc. Only after that took off did airlines eliminate commissions and airlines still struggle to force most consumers to use their sites versus travel sites.
2. There are plenty of travel agents doing cruises, hotels, and other vacations. The bread and butter air travel is gone, but there is plenty of value to be delivered. They simply are having to work for it more. I have booked most of my vacations through a travel agent. It costs me nothing and I find their expertise helpful.
3. Instead of focusing on how they are moving your cheese, focus on how you are going to find new cheese.

Finally, NSRH is dead on. This is what killed the Vantis product and without DTC it will kill the Gerber product too. Independent agents are adverse selecting against GI products, while DTC will pull in healthy people as well. This is the biggest reason MOO's product is priced so well and has lasted so long, it isn't available to agents (maybe captive, not sure).