T H U R S D A Y ,   F E B R U A R Y   2 3 ,   2 0 0 6

 Industry News

T R U S T E D   C H O I C E ®
Get in the Game

What will your agency do during March’s TV ad flight and May’s Trusted Choice® Month 2006? Will you sit on the sidelines, or will you be a player and get in the game?

To maximize the full benefit of participating in Trusted Choice®, the consumer brand program requires a hands-on approach. Roll up your sleeves and start making plans now to run local ads that tie into both national TV ad flights.

Advertising is an investment in your business. When timed with the national flights, your local TV, radio and/or print campaigns will give your agency twice the exposure and help establish it as the Trusted Choice® for local insurance and financial services consumers.

Trusted Choice® marketing materials—tag-able TV, radio and print ad materials—and national advertising campaigns are paving the way for your agency. To preview, download or order the professionally produced ads, click here.

The March ad flight, which begins March 13 and runs through March 26, will feature 54 spots on ESPN, FoxNews and Home & Garden Television—cable networks that best reach the Trusted Choice® target audience of 35-to-64 year old, college-educated adults with household incomes of $75,000+. Click here to see the complete March TV ad campaign schedule.

Nearly 250 ads will run on several key cable networks during Trusted Choice® Month, a month-long concentrated promotional campaign to spotlight Trusted Choice® agencies. In addition to the TV ads that will air from May 1 to May 14, an Internet ad flight will further drive consumer brand awareness. Click here to view the May TV ad schedule.

During Trusted Choice® Month, ads will air on ESPN, FoxNews, CNN, Home & Garden Television, Fine Living Channel and the Travel Channel. These cable networks tie into brand program’s target audience’s five key passions: their homes, news, sports, food and travel.

Start planning your ad campaign now. Click here for helpful tips on media planning and purchasing that will enhance your agency’s local ad campaign.

If your agency isn’t yet a Trusted Choice® member, now is the time to join. Go to www.TrustedChoice.com and click "Agents/Brokers." At the next screen, enter your agency ZIP code under the "New Member?" column, hit "Find" and then follow the easy onscreen instructions.

For more information contact Jeff Myers at 800-221-7917; jeff.myers@iiaba.net.

N A T I O N A L   L E G I S L A T I V E   C O N F E R E N C E   &     C O N V E N T I O N
Register Today

Register as soon as possible for the 2006 Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention! We have now sold out three hotel blocks, but haven’t received all our registration forms. In order to properly plan for the events, we must get accurate registration numbers. Remember, the negotiated room rates are for registrants only; non-registrants will not receive the preferred room rates.

You won’t want to miss this event! Highlights of the National Legislative Conference & Convention include:

· Keynote speaker Former General and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

· CEO panel featuring: Edward M. Liddy, chairman and CEO, The Allstate Corporation; Ramani Ayer, chairman and CEO, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.; Paula Rosput Reynolds, president and CEO, Safeco Corporation; Gary R. Gregg, president and CEO, Liberty Mutual Agency Markets; and Michael Browne, president and CEO, Harleysville Insurance.

· National Legislative Conference breakfast speaker Senator Mark Pryor (Arkansas). Pryor is considered a rising star in the U.S. Senate and a true player on the legislative scene. The other speaker will be announced shortly.

· Capitol Hill visits. The Optional Federal Regulation bill will be introduced shortly, and your promotion of independent agents’ legislative agenda is essential.

· The Congressional reception on Capitol Hill and Legislative Conference briefing, featuring the Legislator of the Year award.

· Workshops and educational opportunities. David Maurstad, the National Flood Insurance Program administrator, will speak at the flood insurance seminar. Get your questions answered by the highest source in the country on flood insurance.

For more information, click here.

B I G   " I "     M A R K E T S
Access Real Estate E&O Coverage 

In today’s litigious society, odds are that a real estate professional you know could be sued at least once in his or her career. Yet many real estate professionals do not carry errors & omissions insurance. As a Big "I" member, you have access to St. Paul Travelers' real estate E&O policy through Big "I" Markets. As a tool to help you discuss with clients the potential for lawsuits, we have put together a one-page flyer featuring scenarios taken from recent actual claims against experienced and knowledgeable real estate professionals. These scenarios demonstrate just how easy it is for a real estate professional to be the target of a lawsuit and why you need to offer them the coverage. Click here to access the flyer. Visit www.bigimarkets.com to learn more about real estate professional liability. Not yet registered for Big "I" Markets, the free online market access program available exclusively to Big "I" members? To complete a quick and easy registration, click here.

B I G   " I "     A D V A N T A G E
Watch Your Mail for Big "I" Advantage Newsletter

Big "I" member agencies will soon receive the latest edition of the Big "I" Advantage newsletter in the mail. This edition features updates on key Big "I" Markets products including non-standard homeowners, community banks, real estate agents E&O and medical malpractice insurance. It also covers how to take advantage of resources available through the Big "I" Flood Program and addresses common misconceptions about personal umbrella insurance and "The Myth of the Dry Umbrella." For more information on these and other Big "I" Advantage member benefit programs, click here.

Y O U N G   A G E N T S
Scholarships Deadline March 1

At the Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention in Washington, D.C., the National YAC will host seminars geared specifically toward young agents, including a first-timers reception, the Young Agent Attendee & InsurPac Chairs Luncheon, two hospitality events and the President’s Panel Breakfast with Big "I" leadership.

The Big "I" National Young Agents Committee is offering each state association two $300 scholarships to assist young agents who have not previously attended a National Legislative Conference attend the 2006 Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention, held April 26 through 28 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. Scholarship funds will be paid to the order of the state association in May 2006. Interested young agents should return a completed application form to their state association by March 1 to be considered for a scholarship. It is up to the discretion of the state association to determine the recipients of these scholarships. Click here to download an application.

The $1,000 Maurice Herndon Scholarship will be presented to one young agent who has not attended a National Legislative Conference in the past to help defray the costs of attending the Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention. The young agent recipient will receive his or her scholarship check in May 2006 after the Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention. To be eligible for the Herndon scholarship, you must be a young agent member (age 40 or younger) of the Big "I" who has not previously attended a Big "I" National Legislative Conference, compose a 250-to-500-word essay describing why you should be considered for the scholarship, and submit your essay and completed application form by March 1. Click here for the application. For more information, contact Leslie Mularski at 800-221-7917; leslie.mularski@iiaba.net.

I A       M A G A Z I N E
Sneak Peak at March Issue

Spring is just around the corner, and so too is the March issue of Independent Agent magazine. Here’s a glimpse into its offerings: "Super Sizing Regional Carriers," a look at the recent trend of mega-sized regional carriers; "Annuities: Market Darling or Dud?," which helps agents separate fact from hype to get to the truth about annuities; "Plot Your Course," which details the need for strategic planning; and more! And don’t forget to visit IAmagazine.com to access the month’s Online Extras, PID and other articles.