Agency Checklists’ occasional column on items of interest to the insurance industry here in Massachusetts and beyond…
Liberty Mutual Goes For Laughs A La GEICO with New Duo LiMu and Doug
“We want to help our customers get the best value out of their insurance policy by customizing their coverage so they have exactly what they need and never overpay,” said Emily Fink, chief marketing officer, Global Retail Markets (U.S.), at Liberty Mutual Insurance. “We’re introducing this memorable duo of LiMu Emu and Doug to demonstrate Liberty Mutual’s customized approach to insurance with a bit of surprise and humor.”
The duo are the stars of Liberty Mutual’s new national advertising campaign which launched this month and which according to the insurer are “passionate about saving people from overpaying for one-size-fits-all insruance.” The new commercials were directed by Craig Gillespie, award-winning Australian feature film, television, and commercial director best known for his films Lars and the Real Girl and I, Tonya. Gillespie is recognized for his sharp, offbeat comedy and ability to inspire honest performances. Gillespie and GS&P collaborated with The Mill, a visual effects and content creation studio, to bring LiMu Emu to life with cutting-edge CGI technology, including a proprietary fur and feather system.
“The insurance category is a competitive space, and there is a need to break through to capture people’s attention,” said Jeff Goodby, co-chairman and partner at GS&P. “LiMu and Doug bring a much-needed emu-and-human-sidekick elegance to it all. It’s fun and memorable, and this is only the beginning for Liberty Mutual.”
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan’s new healthcare start-up has a new name, a website and will be based in Boston
Haven or www.havenhealthcare.com is the new name and website of the joint start-up of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffet, and J.P. Morgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon. The new company will be headquartered in Boston and is being led by Brigham and Women’s Dr. Atul Gawande, who took over as Haven’s Chief Executive Officer, this past July.
“We want to change the way people experience health care so that it is simpler, better, and lower cost,” explained Haven CEO Atul Gawande, MD, MPH. “We’ll start small, learn from the experience of patients, and continue to expand to meet their needs.”
In recent months, Dr. Gawande has been meeting with Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase employees to understand their health care experiences. He notes in a letter posted on the new website that Haven will be an “advocate for the patient and an ally to anyone – clinicians, industry leaders, innovators, policymakers and others – who makes patient care and cost better.” The website also outlines a number of areas to improve upon the current health system, including the difficulty people have accessing care, navigating the complex system, and affording their medical treatments and prescription drugs.
In January 2018, the three founding companies announced plans to create this independent organization, now called Haven, which is free from profit-making incentives and constraints. Haven’s focus is the 1.2 million employees and families affiliated with Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase across the United States and over time it intends to share what it learns to help others. Dr. Gawande assumed the helm as CEO this past July and assembled a leadership team – including Jack Stoddard as COO, Serkan Kutan as CTO, Dana Safran as Head of Measurement, and others – to move the organization’s work forward.
“The good news is the best results are not the most complicated or expensive. The right care in the right place is often more effective and less costly than what we get today,” explained Dr. Gawande.
As Haven scales up its operations, the organization is focused on recruiting a range of talented individuals, including software engineers, data scientists, and clinicians to join its team. Here is a screenshot which links to the new website:
