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As life insurance steadily shifts from a transactional product to a trust-driven relationship, marketers in the sector are rethinking how to balance purpose with performance. For Pramerica Life Insurance, that means moving beyond mass distribution to affinity-based networks, deepening presence in under-served towns, and building awareness through authentic storytelling rather than high-decibel advertising.
Chief Marketing Officer Amaresh Jena has been steering this evolution: from reimagining the media mix and experimenting with influencer-led content, to aligning campaigns with life-stage milestones and ensuring measurable business impact. In this candid conversation with exchange4media, Jena discusses how Pramerica is shaping trust, relevance, and growth in an industry defined by long-term commitment.
Edited Excerpts
Life insurance is often seen as a low-engagement category. How do you approach brand-building in such a sector?
Life insurance is not a category where consumers buy frequently, nor is it an impulse purchase. It’s a high-involvement, long-term commitment. So, for us, building trust and relevance is more important than creating noise. Our strategy has been to position ourselves around key life stages—marriage, parenthood, retirement—where the consumer sees insurance as a necessity, not a push product. Storytelling around these milestones resonates better than generic campaigns.
How are you balancing traditional channels with digital in your media mix?
Three years ago, our spends on digital were negligible. Today, almost 40–45% of our total marketing budget goes into digital. This includes performance campaigns, influencer collaborations, video-led content, and vernacular marketing for Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns. At the same time, TV and print are still important for trust-building and reach, especially in regional markets. We’ve seen that an integrated strategy works best: digital for engagement and targeting, traditional for mass credibility.
What role have influencers and new-age content formats played for you?
Influencers, particularly micro-influencers, have been extremely effective. Insurance is a category where peer trust matters a lot. When a local influencer explains financial planning in a relatable manner, it breaks down barriers. We’ve done campaigns with doctors, teachers, and even young parents, who explain why insurance matters at their stage of life. This generates more conversations than a generic TVC.
Can you give a sense of how your marketing investments have changed?
In the last three years, our advertising and marketing spends have grown by almost 300–400%. This was necessary to strengthen brand visibility and salience. But the focus is not just on spending more—it’s on spending smartly. Every campaign today is measured on business metrics: leads generated, conversions, and cost per acquisition. Marketing is no longer about brand recall alone—it’s about clear ROI.
How do you see insurance marketing evolving in the next few years?
I believe it will become even more hyper-personalised. Data and technology will allow us to create micro-segments and offer customised content. For example, someone who just became a parent should see messaging around child protection plans. Someone in their 40s might be nudged towards retirement planning. The second big shift will be vernacularisation. Regional content will drive growth in the next wave. Insurance is a category that needs to speak the consumer’s language, both literally and emotionally.
Finally, what’s your biggest marketing priority right now?
To make insurance conversations simple and approachable. The jargon often intimidates people. Our goal is to demystify insurance, show real-life relevance, and ensure that when people think about financial security, Pramerica is among the top brands they recall and trust.
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