Making Impact Measurable: SWICA’s Media Strategy

The Swiss insurance market is traditionally characterised by intense advertising pressure, often concentrated in short-term bursts around the mandatory basic insurance switching period in autumn.

What is often overlooked: the decision-making phase for supplementary insurance begins earlier and therefore requires brands to establish their presence ahead of the traditional switching window.

For SWICA, the challenge was to break out of this seasonal pattern and establish the brand as a trusted and likeable health partner among its core target group over the long term—rather than being visible only during the autumn peak.

At the same time, there was clear growth potential both in the supplementary insurance segment and in French-speaking Switzerland—requiring a more strategic approach. As a result, the media budget needed to be deployed in an impact-driven way, ensuring that every franc invested made a measurable contribution to brand relevance.

• Expand the supplementary insurance business
• Strengthen brand relevance within the core target group and in French-speaking Switzerland
• Maximise the impact of the media budget

To support the expansion of the supplementary insurance business, SWICA and Webrepublic shifted the media strategy from seasonal autumn bursts to a strategic year-round presence.

In response to staggered decision-making phases in the market, SWICA engaged its target group during the months most relevant for supplementary insurance, ensuring the brand entered the autumn switching phase with high ad recall.

Sustainable brand relevance within the core target group was achieved through a balanced media mix, with a focus on high-attention TV placements and the targeted use of digital video formats. Additional regional activations strengthened the brand’s continuous presence in French-speaking Switzerland.

To maximise budget impact, continuous ad recall tracking in collaboration with GfK served as the central optimisation metric. Using threshold analyses, the budget was allocated to those channels that demonstrably delivered incremental uplift in ad recall. This ensured that every media franc contributed measurably to both brand relevance and business outcomes.

The consistent focus on impact and relevance paid off both in brand perception and in SWICA’s business performance:

• Significant recall uplift: Ad recall within the core target group increased by 12 percentage points
• Efficient budget use: Overall ad recall rose from 39.5% to 44.6%—on nearly the same budget, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategy
• Proven market success: According to HZ Insurance, SWICA strengthened its position in the supplementary insurance market and further strengthened its position in the Swiss market

Key takeaway: Reach alone is not enough—what matters is measurable impact—and how it drives business results.