Barry Frey Chats with Mike Linton of Farmers Insurance

Barry Frey:  What media do you consume on a daily basis?

Mike Linton:  My daily news primarily comes from The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, various social media outlets, some blogs and NPR.  I also read a number of magazines including Business Week, Fortune, Forbes, Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone.  If Rolling Stone and The Wall Street Journal both rate a movie highly then I know I will probably like it.     

Frey:  What are the biggest changes you foresee in the world of brand marketing over the next few years?

Linton:  As media continues to splinter, the ability to present your brand in a consistent way will become more difficult.  Trying to be in the right place at the right time with the right message is becoming more complex.  Brands based on service might see an even greater challenge across all channels, because it's not just about the marketing.  Specifically, service-based businesses need to provide both marketing and consumer self-service (e.g. Farmers claims first notice of loss) across all channels and technology.  

Frey:  What's on the horizon for Farmers Insurance?

Linton:  We continue to drive omni-channel in both marketing and service.  We work to provide customers with the choice of channels and contact preference and learn when they want to be contacted.  We are also working hard on using data to help our customers and personalize interactions.  Currently, we are looking also to expand our abilities to handle claims and train our workforce through the use of drones, Alexa and many other exciting advancements that I can't talk about just yet.

Frey:   What is your favorite recently downloaded app?

Linton:  That's a tough question.  I have a few I enjoy.  I think my favorite at the moment is my Amazon Alexa app.     

Frey:  Tell us a bit about your upcoming speaking appearance at the Video Everywhere Summit.

Linton:  I'll be talking about how we're taking an 80-year-old plus heritage brand and modernizing it to keep up with an evolving marketplace.

Frey:  What is your favorite television show?

Linton:  My favorite show of all time?  Definitely Breaking Bad.  At the moment, Game of Thrones, but this season will be over by the time anyone reads this.  I'd also throw in Silicon Valley, Better Call Saul, Peaky Blinders, Bosch and Westworld.

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