‘Fictional Insurance’ won Gold in Media Innovation at The Drum Awards. This campaign reinvented insurance by embedding Seguros del Estado into Colombia’s top soap opera, turning fictional character insurance into an interactive, viral experience that drove real business growth.
How do you make people care about something they’ve always ignored? That was the challenge facing Seguros del Estado, one of Colombia’s leading insurers. In a region where insurance is often seen as cold, boring, and irrelevant, the brand needed a breakthrough idea to spark interest, shift perception, and drive real business growth.
The answer wasn’t more advertising. It was reinvention. By partnering with Amazon Prime Video and national broadcaster RCN, we embedded Seguros del Estado directly into 'El Rey del Despecho'—one of Colombia’s most-watched soap operas. For the first time, audiences were invited to insure fictional characters against life’s dramatic twists. If their insured character suffered a misfortune on-screen, they had the chance to claim a real payout.
This disruptive campaign blurred the line between fiction and reality, transforming insurance into an interactive, viral, and culturally relevant experience.
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The objectives were clear:
The insight was simple yet powerful. Colombians care deeply about fictional characters, often more than about themselves. People cry, laugh, and argue over telenovela storylines—but rarely consider insuring their own lives. By reframing this contradiction, 'Fictional Insurance' transformed insurance from an abstract product into an emotional, shareable experience rooted in everyday culture.
We built aseguratupersonaje.com, a mobile-first platform that allowed viewers to select a character and insure them with Life, Illness, or Accident coverage. Before each episode, users logged in to make their choice. If the character’s storyline matched the chosen coverage, they entered a draw for a real payout.
The campaign integrated seamlessly with the soap opera’s schedule, creating real-time interactivity that turned passive viewership into active participation.
Social media amplified the impact. Influencers and fans shared memes, predictions, and debates, making insurance a viral topic. Meanwhile, every participant became a qualified lead, with follow-up communication from Seguros del Estado ensuring that engagement translated into long-term business growth.
'Fictional Insurance' redefined how insurance could live in culture and media:
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'Fictional Insurance' wasn’t about media placement—it was about media reinvention. By merging financial services with entertainment, Seguros del Estado created a category-first idea that made people laugh, debate, and, most importantly, buy insurance.
This case shows how brands can use cultural insights, storytelling, and technology to turn apathy into action. It’s proof that when you challenge conventions and disrupt media, even the most ignored product can spark emotion, conversation, and measurable growth.
Ready to get your work recognized on a global stage? Enter The Drum Awards today. Need more inspiration? Read our Award Winning Case Studies.
Zape Pelele - DDB Colombia