• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, July 21, 2015

Is the pendulum swinging too far to the geeky side? "No," said Brian Borkowski, director of digital marketing at Farmers Insurance, speaking at the OMMA LA conference Tuesday. "I think we need to test in new places that make us feel uncomfortable."

MediaPost Editor in Chief Joe Mandese asked Borkowski several questions, but one of the most interesting points to the three parts when it comes to raising awareness. 

Engagement means as much to creating awareness for a brand in the insurance industry as do raising awareness. Engagement is the layer before someone gives you the personal information and the agency provides a quote.  It's important to understand the value of the content and online tools to help educate consumers. The goal is to make people smarter every time they touch the brand, said Borkowski.

Creating awareness and then getting people to actually consider the company when they shop for insurance is key. The insurance industry has become a battle ground when you have Geico spending $1 billion, and AllState spending $750 million, Borkowski said. The industry isn't growing. "The companies are just taking share from each other, he said. "So, raising awareness of the brand is part of the puzzle, followed by getting people to shop for you when they're in market, and then engagement."