Case Study: Brown & Brown 2003 Annual Report
The property and casualty insurance business may not sound terribly exciting to some. For Florida-based Brown & Brown, however, it's a thrilling adventure and clearly an industry in which the company thrives. Among its national peers, Brown & Brown ranks as the sixth-largest insurance intermediary in terms of revenues – but is first in both pre-tax profit margins and net income growth. In fact, FORTUNE recently named Brown & Brown the 69th of its top 100 fastest-growing companies in the U.S.
When it comes to communications to its chief stakeholders, Brown & Brown is exceptionally clear about its brand and its major differentiators. Since 1993, see see eye has designed, written and produced a number of communications projects that celebrate Brown & Brown's highly competitive, meritocracy-focused culture. They include Brown & Brown's last 10 print annual reports, multiple online annuals, a corporate Web site, the development of a corporate icon (the cheetah) and various other assignments.
The Cheetah Mascot: A Symbol of Speed, Agility and Superiority
Brown & Brown prides itself on creating a competitive internal environment, where every employee is rewarded based on his or her ability to attract, retain and expand profitable customer relationships. In addition to attracting strong and confident people to help grow the business, Brown & Brown's near-meteoric growth – almost 21% compound annual growth since 1994 – has been fueled by an aggressive merger and acquisition program.
The cheetah mascot, designed by see see eye, is a fitting symbol for the company's speed, cunning and agility in a fiercely competitive business environment. The cheetah and the theme of "cheetah-like qualities" are regularly featured in the company's annual report as distinct reminders of Brown & Brown's brand attributes.
For the 2003 print annual report, see see eye helped Brown & Brown highlight specific aspects of its business – from its decentralized operations model and successful M&A program to its aggressive employee recruitment efforts and generous compensation policies that reward excellent performance. Paralleling these messages were photos highlighting select employees who possessed the spirit of a cheetah. Using our PhotoShop® skills, we created images that illustrated how each employee truly had "a cheetah inside" – one photo shows an employee's reflection in the glass as a cheetah's image, another photo shows a person casting a shadow in the shape of a cheetah, and so on.
The online version of the 2003 annual report carried the same "cheetah inside" theme and provided analysts, investors and other stakeholders easy access to operational and financial data on the company.
The result? Annual reports that are unlike those of any other insurance provider and clearly convey the mind and soul of a unique company.
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