The essence of an effective fictional character is a certain indispensability, so no one can hope to outdo a beloved mascot at his own game. That's true of GIECO's inimitable Cockney-accented gekko. Esurance has come up with its own mascot, Erin Esurance, the animated secret agent who interacts with actual Esurance customers in television advertisements. Erin seems to have been a pretty effective mascot so far, though I wouldn't put her head-to-head in a popularity contest with the lovable lizard from London, or even perhaps against the fastidous, thin-skinned and perptually misunderstood GEICO caveman.However, Esurance's marketing strategy has opened up into an interesting new channel aimed at reinforcing the impact and reach of its brand. Following the adventure theme of Erin Insurance, the carrier has partnered with Paramount Pictures to promote the studio's new Star Trek film via a microsite at Esurance's homepage.

It remains to be seen whether the partnership will include television advertising, but in the meantime the two brands mutually reinforce each other over the Internet. It's a fitting channel for the stereotypical Star Trek fan, and perhaps also for a certain portion of I&T's readership, if I can say that without redundancy...

Visitors to www.Esurance.com/startrek can see trailers of the upcoming film and other content and are invited to participate in a contest.
Visitors to www.Esurance.com⁄startrek can see trailers of the upcoming film and other content and are invited to participate in a contest.
Esurance's marketing strategy has opened up into an interesting new channel aimed at reinforcing the impact and reach of its brand. Following the adventure theme of Erin Insurance, the carrier has partnered with Paramount Pictures to promote the studio's new Star Trek film via a microsite at Esurance's homepage.