All the charisma of dry toast

That was the image that Empire, the venerable insurance provider, was enjoying. It was perceived as big, slow, unresponsive, and old-fashioned. What’s more, Empire was being dramatically outspent in the NY market by national competitors. Time for a makeover.

We gave the mail and print a fresh new look and feel, and helped Empire establish a more robust online presence. We made Empire seem like a scrappy New Yorker, rather than part of the Old Guard. I art directed and supervised the creation of ads, banners, mail and outdoor.

New Yorkers—in business and at home—love scrappy. Preference increased 30% among Group Benefits Administrators, 50% among consumers, 150% among brokers and consultants. We also earned client loyalty so strong that they resisted pressure for over a year to switch to the agency used by their new parent company, Anthem.