Some of these signs - all related to the insurance sector in some way - are intentionally funny, however most are amusing by mistake. Regardless, I felt it my duty to make you aware of each and every one.
Above: A cleverly named insurance company in Hong Kong that fills the public with confidence without so much as a "Hello." Just around the corner, The Deceitful Insurance Co. still fails to pull in any custom.
Above: For the immature at heart (myself included), here's an Omaha-based insurance company that never fails to amuse when named out loud, more-so when uttered at speed.
Above: Always be on your guard at the Nebraska branch of Farm Buraeu Financial Services, particularly when dealing with a certain Mr. Rohl. He has a tendency to break into song...
Above: An unmissable and creative sign painted onto the exterior wall of an auto insurance office in Kansas City. Keep your eye on the road as you pass, or you may add some realism to the scene.
Above: This devious piece of scaremongering was spotted in the window of a State Farm Insurance office in Columbia and deserves recognition if only for its cheek.
Thanks to something called human nature, a small section of society will seek insurance cover for any given situation, regardless of the risk involved. Happily for the insurance providers of this world, this also presents more, previously unimagined opportunities to sell their product. Below are 6 of the strangest insurance policies ever offered.
For those who live in fear of being pulled aboard a spaceship during the night, only to be examined, scarred for life, and subsequently in need of an insurance payout, help is at hand in the form of Alien Abduction Insurance. The first company to offer such a thing was St. Lawrence Agency, an insurance provider who claim to have sold over 20,000 such policies. Less successful in the Alien Abduction Insurance arena was Goodfellow Rebecca Ingrams Pearson, a brokerage who ceased to offer their abduction insurance after it was revealed that the 39 members of Heaven's Gate cult found dead in 1997 had all taken out their insurance prior to the mass suicide.
For six years, beginning in 2000, the Essex-based company British Insurance had been providing a very niche form of insurance cover for three sisters living in Inverness, Scotland. Unfortunately for all involved, the firm was forced to lose the siblings' custom (a £1M policy, to be paid out should one of the sisters experience a virgin birth and therefore need funds with which to bring up the second coming of Christ) in 2006, following an unsurprising deluge of complaints from members of the Catholic Church.
In an attempt to attract tourists to the area following continued political conflict that culminated in the closure of Bangkok's airports in 2008, the Thai government quickly decided to break the mould and offer free riot insurance to all holidaymakers still wishing to visit the country. In fact the $10,000 insurance package is still available to all foreign tourists, alongside the promise of $100 compensation, per person, should anyone experience travel delays as a result of rioting.
For many expectant parents a single incoming baby is cause for concern financially. Luckily for them, it's actually possible (via more providers than you'd imagine) to take out an insurance policy that guards against the worryingly expensive possibility of twins arriving. More often than not the insurance must be taken out prior to the 11th week of pregnancy, after which, in the event of two or more babies being born at once (provided your payments have been regular of course) policy-holders can expect a small windfall to ease the burden; financially at least.
It's depressing to think that over the past decades, as the world climate has become more fractious, the very idea of Kidnap and Ransom Insurance being available to the general public has become much less surprising. In fact for many companies whose employees deal in foreign countries on a regular basis, "K&R Cover" is now a very normal (and vital) part of business, especially when considering the numbers: more than 1,000 kidnappings of professionals and executives occur annually.
According to the BBC, it was back in 2002 that hotel owner Terry Meggs took out insurance to guard his patrons against an unruly poltergeist with the potential to harm. He apparently paid a firm named Ultraviolet £500 per annum to have his business covered by its 'Spooksafe' policy: in the event of a member of staff or customer being killed or maimed by a ghost, poltergeist or other abnormal phenomena, they promised to pay out up to £1M. Luckily for guests of his Royal Falcon Hotel, as of yet Mr Meggs hasn't needed to file a claim.
As the world's population is exposed to greater amounts of advertising, the task in hand for the agencies that produce such material becomes more difficult. To make an impact on people who have been bombarded by the tricks of the trade consistently for years calls for something different; advertising that approaches from a unique angle. As proof that it can be done, here are ten brilliantly creative (and one would hope successful as a result) insurance ads created in recent memory.
The famous Marinas Towers parking garage in Chicago was home to this frightening but eye-catching advertisement for Allstate Insurance; a campaign which surely attracted an invaluable amount of attention.
A series of humorous adverts by South African insurance company 1st for Women, in which men's 'foolish', un-insurable pursuits were highlighted, proved popular amongst their target audience.
The stunning second advert from Nationwide's campaign featured what seemed to be an enormous, expensive paint spillage. Of course, the paint was fake - as was Coops Paints itself - but the visual impact huge.
"KarstadtQuelle Insurance is making the best use of bowling lanes by advertising dental implant coverage. Banners with faces printed on were attached to the wall at the end of the lanes. When a bowling ball hits the pins it looks like teeth being knocked out."
An amusing diagram illustrating the potential for crashes between cyclists and car drivers as a result of mini-skirts, heat and a lack of concentration. Simple, and memorable.
To emphasise the fact that yes, crosswalks are indeed the safest way to cross the road, Latina Insurance launched a campaign which featured this 'snappy' advert. It makes you grateful for tarmac.
Above: Buzz Aldrin's Apollo 11 Insurance Cover, postmarked July 20th 1969 and signed by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin
It's incredible to think that astronauts once needed to improvise in
such a way, but these fascinating images show the lengths to which some
crew of the Apollo program
had to go in the name of life insurance. As we all know, the job of an
astronaut is inherently filled with risk, and as such - particularly in
the early days of the Apollo program - an astronaut's mission into
space was literally uninsurable. Of course this situation didn't sit
well with the astronauts, many of whom had families and
other dependants to support should their space flight unfortunately end
in death.
Above: Alan Bean's Apollo 12 Insurance Cover, postmarked Nov. 14th 1969 and signed by Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean
But without a traditional life insurance policy, how could that be possible?
The answer was provided by NASA in the form of 'Insurance Covers', as
seen here, a number of which were given to every crew member and
subsequently signed by every astronaut involved, as close to launch as
possible. Its value would instantly be high, but would no doubt
sky-rocket (no pun intended) should the astronauts never return; the
deceased's surviving family then at least safe in the knowledge that in
future they could cash-in their makeshift insurance policy if required.
Above: John Young's Apollo 16 Insurance Cover, postmarked April 16th 1972 and signed by John Young, Ken Mattingly and Charlie Duke
Luckily for all involved, the Insurance Covers were never needed and
instead they now exchange hands for relatively modest prices amongst
collectors. The practice continued from Apollo 11 through to Apollo 16.
More can be seen at Heritage Auctions.
There are, and have been, thousands of insurance companies in the world, the vast majority of which advertise their services, so it's no surprise that at least a few of these many, many marketing efforts sit on the more curious side of the fence. Now seems as good a time as any to take a look at some of the more intriguing efforts, beginning with those of the vintage variety.
Above: From 1954, an incredibly amusing advert, used to advertise the incredibly niche services of an insurance company with an equally incredible name: Chet Stickrod. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, a quick Google search of the company's name yields little in the way of background information, so it looks like this lovely piece of advertising will have to do.
Above: Dating back to 1930, this fantastic insurance advert comes from the offices of Kruse & Tucker, a company dedicated to selling Aetna Insurance until the millennium, the point by which they predicted auto-mobiles would glide safely around the streets, unhindered by human error. Most amusing is the claim that 'traffic officers will have nothing more to mind than their own knitting!'.
Above: A stunningly depressing, almost harrowing life insurance advertisement printed in National Geographic, all the way back in 1916. The company, Samuels, Cornwall & Stevens, clearly wanted to pull no punches and aimed for the jugular by simply displaying a picture of a sinking boat. You cannot argue with such a message, particularly as it was published just four years after the sinking of RMS Titanic.
Above: In 1951, Mutual of Ohama advertised their services by way of the terrifying infographic seen above, designed to give you the best chance of survival should an atomic bomb be dropped in your vicinity. Underneath frightening red diagrams, chilling talk of 'blast waves' and mention of 'surprise attacks' begins the sell: 'Resolve to make 1951 the beginning of new security for your family....'.
Above: North American Insurance Group chose the creepiest picture possible when advertising their product in Life Magazine in 1941. In fact, with a picture so unnerving it's almost impossible to read the text underneath.
Above: Maybe it's just me, but America Fore's 1953 advert, seen above and featuring swarms of thousands of insurance agents approaching the reader from the distance, is more than a little creepy and far less reassuring than presumably intended. 'Safety in Numbers' just doesn't seem to apply in this instance.
