Budget Direct

Budget Direct is a low cost,[2] value focused[3] insurance brand of Auto & General headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.[4] Their Car and Home Insurance policies are underwritten by Auto & General Insurance Company Limited. Auto & General Insurance Company is an Australian insurance company regulated by APRA and is an active member of the Insurance Council of Australia.[5]

Budget Direct
TypePrivate
IndustryInsurance
Founded1999
HeadquartersBrisbane, Australia
Area served
Australia
Key people
Ram Kangatharan (CEO)
Productsvehicle, home and contents insurance, Travel Insurance, Motorcycle Insurance, roadside assistance
Number of employees
1,300[1]
Websitewww.budgetdirect.com.au

Budget Direct is part of the Budget Insurance group, established in the early 1970s, which collects A$2 billion in premiums each year for the group's 6.8 million policies.[6]

Operations

Budget Direct operates three call centres located in Queensland at Kawana Waters, North Lakes as well as at the company's headquarters located in Toowong, Brisbane. The company also has multiple assessment centres in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.[7] As of August 2013, the company had over 550,000 policy holders and over 800 staff.[8] In 2016 Budget Direct launched in Singapore offering Car, Motorcycle and Travel Insurance.[9]

Advertising

Budget Direct's previous television advertisements depicted a couple called Michael and Michelle.[10] The ads revolved around Michelle's mispronunciation of the word "Budget" whilst explaining the benefits of Budget Direct insurance to Michael who continually corrects her pronunciation. In August 2013 Budget Direct rebranded with an alien version of the shower ad with animated aliens instead of Michelle and Michael. This also included a revelation of a new brand positioning and logo created by Hulsbosch.[11] In January 2014 it was reported that the brand had engaged 303Lowe with the release of new TV ads featuring a daredevil by the name of Captain Risky[12] and tagline "We don't insure Captain Risky to keep prices low", to explain the brand's low to medium risk market positioning.[13]

Awards

Budget Direct has won the CANSTAR award for Outstanding Value Car Insurance every year from 2007 to 2017. In 2015 and 2017, Budget Direct won the Money Magazine Insurer of the Year award for their Car and Home Insurance products. They have also won the Money Magazine Cheapest Car Insurance award in 2014 and 2015.[14]

References
  1. "Captain Risky swoops in to fund Kawana surf club". Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  2. Kavanagh, John. "New Kids on the Block", The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 4 November 2009. Retrieved 5 Jun 12.
  3. 2012 CANSTAR Car Insurance Awards Archived 19 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. About Budget Direct accessed 13 Aug 17
  5. Auto & General Insurance Australia accessed 5 Jul 12
  6. Auto & General Insurance Globally accessed 5 Jul 12
  7. About Budget Direct accessed 28 January 2015
  8. Budget Direct aims to nearly double profits accessed 2 February 2014
  9. 21 October 2016 - Media Announcement accessed 13 August 2017
  10. "Budget Direct YouTube Channel". Retrieved 10 July 2012 – via YouTube.
  11. Budget Direct recruits aliens for rebrand, but 'catchy' jingle remains accessed 2 February 2014
  12. Budget Direct introduces loveable daredevil 'Captain Risky' in debut campaign via 303Lowe accessed 28 January 2015
  13. Captain Risky here to stay as Budget Direct aims to show why it is 'better' than competitors accessed 28 January 2015
  14. Budget Direct: About us accessed 13 August 2017
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.