'Take it easy', says HDFC ERGO General Insurance to motorists

Through an online campaign, the company aims to spread the message of motor insurance as an ideal shield of protection against the potential liabilities arising out of any mishap while driving.

Road accidents are a major cause of concern leading to deaths across the world, more so in India. It is shocking that more than 10 lakh people have lost their lives to road accidents in the last 10 years in India. While India only has about 1 per cent of the world's automobiles, the country has the dubious distinction of leading the world in road crash fatalities, contributing 10 per cent of total global road deaths, according to the statistics compiled by SaveLIFE Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.

Road accidents have serious financial implications. For individuals, the cost of road accidents involves injuries and damages to the driver and third parties (individuals as well as property). Liabilities arising out of accidental deaths caused by one's vehicle can be unlimited. What can help in such situation is a motor insurance. It is mandatory to have third-party liability insurance for the vehicle of any type - a car, two-wheeler or any commercial vehicle, under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. To create awareness about road safety, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has launched a campaign called #TakeItEasyonRoads.

HDFC ERGO's online-only campaign has been envisaged considering the fact that road safety is the most relevant issue that masses can relate to. Through the campaign, the company also aims to spread the message of motor insurance as an ideal shield of protection against the potential liabilities arising out of any mishap while driving. The key message of the campaign is to drive safely and responsibly and hence the name #TakeItEasyonRoads. The target audience of the campaign is going to be drivers of all motorised vehicles, including women and new drivers.

The company has also taken to a contest on Facebook and Twitter. The campaign has been conceived internally, while the creatives have been crafted by MX Advertising and executed by the social media agency Isobar.

Mukesh Kumar, executive director, HDFC ERGO General Insurance, says, ''Being in the business that is related to motor, we are concerned about the potential implications of unsafe driving. Our #TakeItEasyonRoads campaign has been calibrated to spread awareness on road safety in a creative and witty manner. Our objective is to get maximum brand engagement on social media by making this concept viral and pervasive. As the campaign is not sales-focussed and is purely online, we are envisaging higher acceptance by the masses. With the apt creative and strong message, we expect our customers and fan base on social media to share and spread the word, giving our campaign extra wings."

Kumar further adds, ''A motor insurance offers ideal protection against a potential liability arising out of any mishap taking place while driving. Some drivers consider their good driving skills as an excuse for not bothering about motor insurance; but the nature of accidents and mishaps is such that they happen unannounced, to anyone, anywhere. So, a motor insurance shouldn't be ignored.''

HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company is a 74-26 joint venture between HDFC, a housing finance institution, and ERGO International AG, the primary insurance entity of Munich Re Group. The company offers a complete range of general insurance products ranging from motor, health, travel, home and personal accident, in the retail space, and customised products such as property, marine and liability insurance, in the corporate space.