iMingle™ Launches in Illinois with Group Buying for Car Insurance

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[The] iMingle tip can mean saving hundreds of dollars per year on car insurance. With gas prices so high and the peak summer driving season approaching, we believe Illinois drivers will really appreciate the opportunity to save on their insurance costs.

(PRWEB) May 18, 2011

iMingle (TM) has launched in Illinois as the first direct-to-consumer insurance provider to offer group buying for auto insurance. Now, individual policyholders in Illinois can qualify for group discounts by tapping into the collective buying power of their social networks. Illinois is the largest state (by population) that iMingle presently operates in.

iMingle is a new marketing approach for direct-to-consumer insurance aimed at what the company calls the i Generation, those consumers who routinely turn to their social networks to find information, compare deals and seek recommendations from their peers. For the first time, an insurance provider has developed its marketing strategy specifically to meet the needs – and expectations – of these policyholders by rewarding them for two things they are already doing: using social media and buying insurance.

Most insurance companies offer discounts if you insure multiple cars within a household. iMingle takes this concept a step further by allowing consumers to link, or “mingle,” their policies with those of their friends, so they can both benefit from the iMingle Network™ Discount of 10 percent. This is on top of iMingle’s other policy discounts, which can save customers up to 50 percent or more.

The sharing process is simple. When a customer purchases an iMingle auto policy, they can use a widget to let their friends know about the available discount. They have over a dozen choices for how they want to share their exclusive iMingle discount link, including email, instant messaging, blogging, and social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If a friend clicks on the link and also purchases a policy – and both agree to the iMingle safety pledge – both customers get an extra 10 percent discount.

“What we are doing with the iMingle Network Discount is entirely new in the insurance business,” said Michael Z. Stahl, iMingle’s vice president of marketing and operations. “Consumers have already embraced the group deal concept for restaurants, online retailers and other small, discretionary purchases. But, rather than saving $10 on dinner or $5 on a car wash, the iMingle tip can mean saving hundreds of dollars per year on car insurance. With gas prices so high and the peak summer driving season approaching, we believe Illinois drivers will really appreciate the opportunity to save on their insurance costs.”

iMingle’s group buying component is believed to be the first in the insurance industry. However, it is not the only way iMingle customers can save money. Other policy discounts include:

• Preferred Payer Discount™ – the more customers pay up front, the more they save (with the greatest savings by those paying in full)
• Free-A-Tree™ Discount – a five percent discount for drivers who get quotes and sign up online and enroll in the Easy-Pay automatic payment service
• Retro Loyalty Discount™ – iMingle rewards customers for their loyalty to their previous insurance carrier based on the length of their relationship
• Safe & Sound® Discount – additional discount for continuously insured drivers without accidents or moving violations for at least three years
• Happily Married Discount™ – married couples, happy or not, qualify for a discount, as do legally recognized civil unions and domestic partnerships

iMingle also bundles popular coverage options into convenient and affordable packages:

• Protect Your Sanity™ – includes Roadside Assistance, Rental Car Reimbursement and Trip Interruption
• Protect Your Wallet™ – includes Price Lock™, Accident Forgiveness, Renewal Assurance™ guarantee and Disappearing Deductible (which allows customers to take $100 off their collision deductible right away and another $100 for each year they go without an accident)
• Protect Your Family – includes Car Seat Replacement, Dependent and Pet Protection

In addition to Illinois, iMingle is now available in 12 other states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia and Iowa. Homeowners, renters and condo insurance are also available from iMingle in Illinois.

Connect with iMingle and its highly sociable green mascot, iMingle Max, on Twitter and Facebook.

(Please note: The term “group buying” as used in this press release is intended to mean collective buying in the social context and not the purchasing of insurance as part of an employer-sponsored group or other affinity association.)

iMingle is part of Unitrin, Inc. (NYSE: UTR), which has over $8 billion in assets and an A- (Excellent) Rating from A.M. Best Company for insurance operations. More information is available at http://www.iMingle.com or by calling 800-315-0473.

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