Cornish Mutual is the only general insurer based in the South West and has a unique history. It was formed in 1903 by a group of Cornish farmers looking for a better way of insuring their farms. They decided that by forming a mutual organisation, they could pool their money and provide effective insurance for each other at a lower cost.

Today, Cornish Mutual is still a mutual organisation. Customers automatically become “Members”.  With no shareholders, any profits are re-invested in the business, for the benefit of all Members. Over the last 20 years, Cornish Mutual has extended its insurance services to farms, homes and businesses across the rural communities of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Cornish Mutual appointed Brand Innovation to carry out a pivotal strategic project. This involved defining the unique brand values of Cornish Mutual and developing these into a long-term marketing strategy for their brand, with the aim of attracting new customers across the South West.

Using a combination of quantitative research and depth interviews with Members, we developed the Brand Model for the business and presented this to the Board. This was then translated into a Total Communications Plan, detailing how Cornish Mutual’s positioning should be delivered through internal and external communications, including advertising, website, literature, PR and events.

We went on to create all the content for the new website, incorporating a wide range of “Member Case Studies” which brought to life the exceptional service provided by the Cornish Mutual team. We also created the strapline for Cornish Mutual: Insurance that keeps its word.

The next stage involved writing the creative brief for the new advertising and devising proposed media plans. Brand Innovation also conducted focus groups to test the proposed new advertising among target customers and help refine the final executions for the campaign.