Case study Firstcaution

Firstcaution offers a flexible solution for rental guarantees. Customers can choose whether they want to deposit their rental guarantee in full, in part or without a bank deposit. The advantage here is that the rental guarantee, which can be up to three months’ rent, isn’t blocked and is available at any time. 

Although Firstcaution’s service already enjoys widespread popularity in French-speaking Switzerland, it is currently still less well known in German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. A large-scale, digital-first campaign aims to change this.

• Awareness: increased awareness of Firstcaution as an insurance provider for rental guarantees
• Building brand knowledge: communicating the advantages of Firstcaution’s services
• Increased website traffic

In planning the ideal campaign strategy and playout, Webrepublic first defines the media target audience based on Firstcaution’s company profile.

Based on consumer behavior, media use and socio-demographic factors, the channels are selected, and the ad is then played out to the target audience on YouTube and Facebook. Both platforms ensure a wide reach and cost-efficient campaign launch. In addition, the Firstcaution ads are played out on sharing and real estate platforms such as Comparis and Immoscout24, as these kinds of portals are highly frequented by the target audience. 

In addition to selecting suitable channels, precise targeting based on socio-demographic factors and behavioral aspects makes sure that the ads actually reach the relevant users.

To ensure the ads’ relevance, the various creatives were continuously reviewed. The Webrepublic creation team produced four different versions that target the different needs that are of relevance regarding rental guarantees or moving home. These include flexibility, speed, adjustability and the option to pay the guarantee upon commencement of the lease. The ads that performed best were about filling out the rental guarantee application within three minutes and about the flexibility of the rental guarantee.

To round off the customer journey, the digital-first approach is complemented by two weeks of poster advertising, with 512 poster sites and 116 screens in highly frequented downtown areas. This extension into offline channels increases the campaign’s reach potential and provides valuable opportunities for people to encounter the ads through different types of media, which further enhances awareness of Firstcaution.

• Website traffic increased by 177 percent year-on-year. 
• Awareness on Facebook increased by 20 percent among people who came across an ad and by as much as 22 percent in the main target audience. 
• Costs per ad recall lift reduced by 66 percent on YouTube.
• Potential of Comparis and Immoscout24 confirmed thanks to above-average click-through rates and visibility.
• The ads on speed and flexibility were the most successful, generating more than 23,000 website clicks.
• OOH: a reach of 88 percent was achieved through the OOH campaign, and there was a significant increase in website traffic from the target areas over the course of the campaign, especially in German-speaking Switzerland.