Esurance was an American direct-to-consumer auto insurance company founded in 1999, known for selling policies online without agents. The brand operated independently until Allstate acquired it in 2011 for $1 billion, and Allstate later phased out the Esurance brand name as part of a 2019 restructuring plan. [1]
Design and History
Esurance’s visual identity underwent a significant transformation in 2010, when the company partnered with the San Francisco advertising and design agency Duncan/Channon to update its brand positioning and advertising. [2] The agency developed a new look and feel for the brand, including a new logo and tagline. [3]
Before the 2010 rebrand, the Esurance logo consisted of an icon paired with a wordmark, rendered in blue, green and white. The wordmark featured the company name in lowercase letters, with the first letter “e” in blue and the remaining letters in green, accompanied by the text “Online Auto Insurance” below. [4]
The 2010 redesign introduced a type-only logo, dropping the icon and the descriptive subtext. Duncan/Channon described the revamped identity system as designed to deliver a singular message: that the company that helped pioneer online car insurance continues to innovate for busy consumers, working to make buying and using its products more intuitive, convenient, transparent and friendly. [5] The work earned Duncan/Channon a Merit at the 2011 REBRAND 100 Global Awards, placing it among what the agency described as the world’s most successful rebrands of 2010. [5]
The rebrand accompanied a shift in advertising strategy. Esurance retired its animated pink-haired spokesperson Erin Esurance from primary campaign roles, moving to live-action commercials featuring an ensemble cast of fictional employees. Chief Marketing Officer John Swigart said the updated brand identity strove to be “modern and friendly, and convey the approachability of Esurance.” [2]
In December 2019, Allstate announced it would phase out the Esurance brand in 2020 as part of a “Transformative Growth Plan,” stating it would no longer be necessary to use both the Allstate and Esurance brands for direct sales. [1] Allstate recorded a $51 million pre-tax charge for impairment of the Esurance trade name intangible asset from the 2011 acquisition. [6]
Typography and Design
The 2010 Esurance wordmark used a custom typeface commissioned by and licensed exclusively to the company. A trademark filing from May 2010 describes the mark as the name “Esurance” in lowercase letters set in a customized font called “Esurance Bryant.” [7] A related filing describes the wordmark rendered in white in the same customized font. [8]
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