The Walsh Duffield team is one of firm, local roots. From their inception in 1860, all the way to 2018, they have kept their family at the helm of leadership and treated their employees with the same measure of significance. They know that when their culture succeeds, their customers can, too, and it was time to give people the opportunity to learn about the true wonder of Walsh through an immersive web presence.
Walsh Duffield is much more than an insurance company – just like we feel we’re much more than an advertising agency. The minute we combined those two fusions together, we knew great things were bound to happen.
The conversations started with the Walsh team simply stating that they needed a new website – we immediately knew they needed to think bigger. Numerous in-depth discussions were held with members of the executive, leadership and marketing teams to uncover all of the obstacles and clarify all of the opportunities. Through thoughtful questioning and challenges that forced each of our teams to dig deep, we were able to expose everything that drives the company; their history, their core values, a founding value proposition and key differentiators in their field – as well as their communities.
From there, we were able to pull out key success metrics for the project. It became clear that the light at the end of the road was focused on the act of cultivating and acquiring clients, attracting excellent talent and telling the right stories.
Persona development.
With a sound understanding of the company and its most valuable assets – its people – we were on the right track to telling that great story. But to do that in the best way, we needed to understand who the Walsh Duffield audiences were fully.
Insurance companies are unique in that they provide products and services to nearly every age group and demographic. Understanding the differing segments and the various attributes that make them different is critical.
Honing in on a brand promise.
While our engagement didn’t begin as a branding exercise, the process we followed enabled us to naturally formalize their permeating brand promise of keeping every Walsh Duffield employee and customer “Safe & Well.” This simple phrase embodies not only what their unique service offerings provide but also helps to define the differentiating, personal ways in which they operate. Walsh consistently cares about the safety and well-being of their teams and families, and that focus carries directly through to their clients and communities.
A personality in focus
When a value proposition is built on people, and a work environment is built on culture, there’s only one way to truly bring its impact into focus: custom photography and videography. Telling a great story is not just about the words on the screen, but also the authentic smiles and sentiments that you see and hear. Guiding the staff and getting to feel their true appreciation for their workplace in front of the camera was inspiring to us throughout our process behind it – just as it would be to all who would visit their site.
Copy and content counts.
Informed by client personas and armed with a strong brand promise, the copy relied only on one other point of emphasis: to simplify. That meant:
- Drastically reducing and thoughtfully consolidating existing content
- Revising the site navigation and journey to naturally organize information
- Explaining the products and services in plain English, with more focus on
personal benefit and less “insurance jargon” - Highlighting the Walsh Duffield history and culture in an engaging,
captivating way - Creating a natural, emotive conversation between both clients and
prospective employees
A personality in focus.
When a value proposition is built on people and a work environment is built on culture, there’s only one way to bring its impact into focus: custom photography and videography. Telling a great story is not just about the words on the screen but also the authentic smiles and sentiments that you see and hear. Guiding the staff and getting to feel their true appreciation for their workplace in front of the camera was inspiring to us throughout our process – just as it would be to all who would visit their site.
The little things.
From the small — but impactful — strategic changes, like revising the URL from Walshins.com to WalshDuffield.com, to the subtle, custom interactions woven throughout the site, reaching the complex SEO considerations made on both the front- and back-end, our process was purposely all-encompassing. We truly believe that each small detail and pixel plays an integral role in the quality of the big picture. It’s with this attention to detail that each choice along the way helped to equally contribute to the ultimate success.
Now, Walsh Duffield’s story can be truly seen and heard by all those that they keep safe and well.
Working with Walsh.
It’s becoming increasingly rare for a client to completely entrust their agency partner’s process from end-to-end, but Walsh Duffield and their family did just that with ours. Not only was this first engagement a triumph, but it also set the stage for an established working relationship and a long-term partnership.
The foundation is built. Now, the work begins.
