Insurers will have to understand people’s behaviour to sell life insurance rather than just use “wallpaper” advertising, according to a marketing expert.

Naked Communications Planning Partner Adam Ferrier says life insurers rely on “bland” advertising campaigns, and they need to rethink how they engage with the consumer.

He told the recent Financial Services Council life insurance conference that “wallpaper advertising” does work, but it is not the only way to engage with people.

“There is a place to use existentialist psychology in selling and that includes the consumer’s fear of death.”

Mr Ferrier says using fear means insurers can create a trend of consumers wanting to have life insurance, rather than have them ignore the subject.

“Life insurance is an engaging category,” he said. “But we don’t know how to engage them and that’s where analysing behaviour, along with data, has a role.”

Mr Ferrier says events in people’s lives can be used to trigger the purchase of life insurance.

These include encouraging people to take out a policy when a baby arrives and making life insurance a 21st birthday gift.

“Insurers do need to get a behavioural change in people if they want them to buy more insurance,” he said.

“Now everything is interactive there is no reason why an insurer cannot change people’s actions. A lot of advertising is now action-oriented.”

He says the word “insurance” is tough to sell in advertisements and a new term could be used to describe life cover.

“Insurers can take a leaf out of the [road safety] advertisements that create situations which encourage people to do something,” he said.

“At present, some insurers’ advertising is effective, but it is a one-trick pony.”