American Family Insurance (AFI) has created its first social game, I-Am-Fam, in an effort to reach its main demographic, who are active users in the gaming space.
It was created in partnership with Mindshare Entertainment and game network WildTangent. The game, I-Am-Fam is a part of a larger campaign that includes the web series, “In Gayle We Trust,” and the microsite, BuildingABrighterFuture.MSN.com, which provides tools to help families address personal finance needs.
The entire campaign launched July 19.
Telisa Yancy, director of advertising at the insurance company, said it constructed the game in response to research, which showed that its demographic, which leans toward women, use gaming sites with a high frequency.
“We want to meet consumers where they happen to be and become a part of their environment, said Yancy.
I-Am-Fam is a social simulation game designed to give users an opportunity to take care of their virtual family in making everyday and major financial decisions.
The game can be found on Facebook, but is also housed on the WildTangent site. It will run indefinitely, with plans for future enhancements.
“We want consumers to grow with us and the game,” said Shannon Lory, media and program manager at AFI.
One of the focuses of the game is its avatar agent, the Trusted Advisor, where users can go to learn about the company’s insurance. To track its success, AFI will look at sales generated as well as how many quotes were solicited.
Yancy said there are CRM elements to the game. The site provides links to the online branded entertainment shorts as well as the MSN site, where users can learn about AFI’s financial tools.
Lory asserted that I-Am-Fam, which utilizes 3D technology, contains real-time elements that help to create relevancy in a person’s daily living. Weather, for instance, is a main component. So, if there is a hail storm in the real world, the weather in the game reflects this. If a user has purchased a virtual car but didn’t buy AFI insurance, he will have to pay for the damage in virtual coins.
“If he did buy the insurance, there is no happiness to take away,” added Yancy.
