List the five distinguishing characteristics that drive consumer demand for insurance products
and services. - Answers 1. insurance needs
2. knowledge of the insurance markets
3. methods of accessing the insurance market,
4. negotiating ability
5. access to alternative risk financing measures
Summarize how the insurance needs of small businesses can be covered. - Answers By a
limited number of commercial policies, such as BOP, a workers comp policy, and commercial
auto policies
Identify the factors that influence an insurer's decision regarding the geographic area it serves. -
Answers Based on its size, level of expertise in writing coverage in broader geographic areas,
the level of competition in those areas, and its customer focus. An insurer that chooses a
regional area for operation can more narrowly focus its marketing intelligence to address
customers' insurance needs in the smaller area. In contrast, writing insurance nationally or
internationally requires substantially more marketing intelligence to understand customers and
successfully meet a wider range of insurance needs.
Identify the unique factors that shape the property-casualty insurance marketplace. - Answers
Economic forces, regulatory controls, and technology demands that set the parameters within
which insurers must operate. Underwriting cycles, as well as the financial shock of
unanticipated catastrophic losses, further affect it.
Explain why insurers' operations are frequently dependent on investment earnings. - Answers
Premiums are held competitively low to attract customers
Identify the purpose of state-based insurance regulations. - Answers Stipulate the financial
requirements that insurers must sustain to operate within a state and the marketing conduct to
which insurers must adhere.
Identify the primary demand for technology in insurer marketing applications - Answers Ease of
use
focus group - Answers a small group of customers or potential customers brought together to
provide opinions about a specific producer, service, need or other issue
predictive analytics - Answers statistical and analytical techniques used to develop models that
predict future events or behaviors
market segmentation - Answers the process of identifying and dividing the groups within a
, market that share needs and characteristics and that will respond similarly to a marketing
action
target marketing - Answers focusing marketing efforts on a specific group of customers
niche marketing - Answers a type of marketing that focuses on specific types of buyers who are
a subset of a larger market
Contrast primary data and secondary data used for insurer market research. - Answers
Secondary data are data that have been collected by other parties and are therefore
immediately available at little or no cost. Many research questions can be answered at a
minimal expense from secondary data. Because primary data are collected by the insurer, they
are more costly to acquire; however, these data address issues specific to the market research
project
Explain how predictive analytics are used in market research. - Answers Most predictive models
generate a score, with the higher score indicating a higher likelihood that the given behavior or
event will occur. Predictive scores are typically used to measure the risk or opportunity
associated with a specific customer or transaction. These evaluations assess the relationship
between many variables to estimate risk or response.
Describe 4 common bases of market segmentation. - Answers 1) behavioristic segmentation:
the division of a total consumer market by purchase behavior
2) geographic segmentation: the division of markets by geographic units
3) demographic segmentation: the division of markets based on demographic variables such as
age, gender, education, occupation, ethnicity, income, family size and family life cycle
4) psychographic segmentation: the division of markets by individuals' values, personalities,
attitudes, and lifestyles
Describe 2 major types of marketing information systems. - Answers 1) internal accounting
system provides report and analysis capability based on transactions associated with sales
activity. Much of the essential info on production, retention, and policies in force is available as
a byproduct of the systems that keep track of commissions and billings.
2) marketing monitoring system provides intelligence about the external environment to inform
senior management about important developments and changing conditions. Customers and
producers are monitored to determine their satisfaction levels with the service they receive from
the insurer, and the resulting information helps the insurer shape decisions related to growth
and profitability strategies. The market monitor also maintains competitive intelligence and
benchmark studies of competitors.
Before introducing a new insurance product or service, an insurer completes a comprehensive