How Admiral Generated 4x More Media Coverage During the Pandemic
Discover how Admiral monitored and measured insurance media coverage during the coronavirus pandemic to manage reputation, inform customers, and support senior stakeholders.
pieces of coverage generated
more coverage than the same period in the previous year
pieces of coverage in national media
Challenge
During the pandemic, Admiral needed to ensure they were still generating positive media coverage which kept customers updated and informed at a time when the news agenda was led by negative stories.
Solution
Cision joined forces with insurance company, Admiral to help them monitor and measure their coverage, especially during a time when the media was dominated by one topic: the pandemic. Like many other brands, Admiral had to adapt to the effects of coronavirus shifting consumer behavior and attitude. How did Cision come in? In an era where every fragment of information is questioned or challenged, Admiral used Cision to monitor their reputation based on their newsjacking coverage, react to the coronavirus crisis, and measure how well the stories were received. Being able to track the performance of the campaigns across broadcast, online, and print using an easy-to-read dashboard and reporting options meant that senior stakeholders within the company could easily understand the direct impact of the coverage.
Results
Using Cision, Admiral managed to observe and record a total of 1,500 pieces of coverage for the Stay at Home Refund campaign. Admiral also generated a high volume of coverage for their other statements during the months of March to June – approximately four times more than the same period in the previous year.
Admiral is one of the UK’s biggest insurance companies, providing car, home, travel, and other types of financial products to consumers.
As car insurance is required by law in the United Kingdom, Admiral’s target audience is very broad – anyone who drives a car. And although it’s a product that people must have when driving, it’s not a priority purchase for them.
Admiral’s home insurance products are targeted to anyone who owns or rents a home and is seeking peace of mind and security.
We spoke with Justin Beddows, Consumer PR Specialist at Admiral, about how the company used Cision to monitor, measure, and report on media coverage during the coronavirus pandemic.
Finding support for crisis communications
As negative stories dominated the news cycle, Admiral faced the challenge of maintaining positive media coverage to keep customers updated and informed at a time of uncertainty.
They issued several newsjacking statements, predominantly regarding motor and home insurance products, using their existing internal data. The overarching aim was to make sure these stories were relevant to the current situation, provided practical advice, and offered interesting information.
They also launched the Admiral Stay at Home Refund campaign during lockdown, where they offered a £25 premium refund to all motor insurance customers (a total of £110 million) – rewarding customers for following the government guidelines and reflecting the fact that there were fewer cars on the road.
As the campaign aimed to fit into the coronavirus narrative and gain support from the public, Admiral knew it had the potential to generate considerable media attention. Interest from senior stakeholders meant that the in-house PR team needed to ensure they could quickly track, review and analyze the coverage results and sentiment.
Admiral used its all-in-one PR and comms platform, CisionOne, to distribute their stories and track the performance of campaigns across broadcast, online, and print. Customizable dashboards were there to make life easier when presenting important comms metrics to senior management. Quarterly insight reports curated by Cision experts were personalized to Admiral’s goals so they could fully make sense of the data.
Plus, Cision’s database of hundreds of thousands of media contacts also enabled Admiral’s PR team to identify relevant influencers and target any new releases accordingly.
“Cision allowed us to accurately monitor and measure all the media coverage we generated during the lockdown, quickly produce reports, and answer any questions we had from stakeholders regarding the coverage. ”
Turning to Cision's all-in-one PR and comms platform
Cision’s platform gave Admiral access to several features, helping them distribute their stories and track the performance of their Stay at Home Refund campaign. Admiral used Cision’s database of hundreds of thousands of media contacts, enabling their PR team to identify relevant influencers and target any new releases accordingly.
The media monitoring tool picked up any campaign mentions and established the sentiment of each piece, whilst keeping an eye on the competition. Analytics on their earned media included prominence and impact measurement, which scored mentions based on how well they reached their audience.
A connected approach to PR and communications
Customizable dashboards and reporting features made it easier for Admiral’s PR team to track performance across broadcast, online, and print media.
Quarterly insight reports curated by Cision experts were personalized to Admiral’s goals, helping the team interpret data and communicate results clearly to internal stakeholders.
“We were also able to measure our coverage against our competitors during this time.”
Campaign impact and coverage highlights
Admiral generated a high volume of coverage for their Stay at Home Refund campaign and other statements during the months of March to June.
A total of 2,148 pieces of coverage were generated, with 248 of those appearing in national media, approximately four times more than the same period in the previous year.
Impact on PR goals and workflows
With Cision supporting their communications efforts, Admiral was able to respond quickly during a rapidly evolving news cycle, maintain visibility, and provide clear, data-backed reporting to senior stakeholders.
The platform enabled the PR team to answer questions efficiently, compare coverage against competitors, and maintain confidence in campaign performance during a highly sensitive period.
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