South Africa’s most innovative and affordable car insurance provider comes of age with a mature new look and upgraded product portfolio. PMD emerges as a top-tier brand under its new name, Prime.
Since its launch in 2009, Prime Meridian Direct Pty Ltd (also known as PMD) has become a well-known and respected brand in the car insurance industry. Now, to celebrate over 15 years of providing South Africans with quality, affordable car insurance, they’ve unveiled not only a brand new look but also a befitting new name.
Meet Prime
PMD becomes Prime South Africa, successfully simplifying and elevating its brand while staying true to its roots.
But Prime is not just a pretty new face. Prime South Africa reinvents itself as a serious but approachable player in the competitive car insurance market. With its all-new, next-gen website, advanced client self-service portal and cutting-edge mobile apps, Prime emerges as a new standard in both the direct-to-market and digital or online car insurance landscapes.
This is to say nothing of Prime’s distinct and unique new product offering that brings thoughtful colour to the otherwise grey and vanilla world of car insurance. For example, 24-month fixed premiums, reducing excesses and Prime’s exclusive benefits like passenger injury protection make it a unique offering.
Car insurance made for South Africans, by South Africans
“As South African motorists, we face many challenges and risks daily. Our mission has always been to enable our clients to live hope-filled lives, secure in the knowledge that we’ve got their back when things go wrong. By delivering our unique brand of car insurance with simplicity, authenticity, and humanity, we aspire to become South Africa’s most valued car insurance provider. And becoming Prime is an important next step in achieving this objective,” explains CEO Stuart Benfield.
“Truly becoming Prime – which means ‘the best’ – meant we had to carefully reposition and upgrade our digital presence as this is often a primary point of engagement with our clients. We had to deliver elegant, modern, responsive digital assets that make engaging with us easy and intuitive. We also really wanted to inject a proudly South African look and feel into our brand,” head of marketing Chantal Visagie adds.
Innovation is part of the Prime DNA
“Even the best brands continually evolve, adapting to changing market dynamics to remain relevant. But this is seldom an overnight process. We spent the last couple of years carefully researching, considering, and innovating the many moving parts and intricacies behind our new Prime brand. The rebrand is 100% about our clients. It’s about delivering the value they deserve and making things simpler and more reassuring for them,” comments Benfield.
“Our main goal is to create a genuine feeling of safety and belonging with our clients and their families. We want them to be proud to share that they’re with Prime to feel like they’re getting something different. Our upgraded product range sets Prime apart with exclusive features and benefits not available elsewhere,” he adds.
A rebrand that raises the bar
The change to Prime is clearly not a superficial facelift. The effect of the many new Prime product upgrades and a complete overhaul of their digital assets shows a level of detailed consideration and planning not often seen with a brand change. While you still feel familiar with the original PMD brand, engaging with the new Prime feels even more sophisticated, mature, and compelling.
“We’re really proud to offer exclusive benefits that we know will make a positive impact on South African lives. But we also love the fact that we offer our clients an omnichannel experience. This allows our clients to engage with us easily in ways that make sense for them and make them feel most comfortable. Whether you’re buying insurance or lodging a claim, we’d rather adapt to your preferred engagement and communication mechanisms than limit you to just one way of doing things. Buy online today. Get client service support via WhatsApp tomorrow, and then talk to a human being next week when claiming. We’re that flexible. But no matter how we engage with you, we always aim to deliver a sincere and human experience that doesn’t leave you feeling like a number,” says Visagie.
Car insurance for every South African motorist
Prime is known for its product innovations, such as its 24-month fixed premiums and reducing excess that reduces every month until it’s zero if you don’t claim.
In addition to its fully Comprehensive Cover, Prime also offers its highly affordable and unique alternative car insurance products called Customised Cover and Third-Party PLUS Cover. Therefore, Prime literally caters to every budget and cover requirement.
“We sincerely believe every South African should have access to the peace of mind that car insurance offers and that’s within their budget. With so many uninsured drivers on our roads, we want to show Mzansi that there are great, affordable options available that they can truly afford,” explains Benfield.
Help is just a few taps away
As part of its rebrand, Prime has also introduced its innovative new mobile app, Prime Protect. New policyholders are given automatic free access to the data-free Prime Protect app, which offers several practical and potentially valuable benefits.
These include R10,000 free Accidental Death Cover to financially support loved ones if you pass away in a car accident. You also get free, expert advice and assistance to claim from the Road Accident Fund if you’re injured. This is not to mention free private medical treatment for passengers injured in your car.
Furthermore, you get exclusive savings with lower excess fees, always-on automatic accident detection and 24/7 emergency assistance anytime and anywhere.
“We’re thrilled to introduce this fantastic mobile app that adds even more value to our clients’ policies. We want you to feel safe on the road, even when driving alone, knowing that help is just a few taps away. We also want to reward our clients with exclusive value-adding benefits that make a huge difference when you really need them,” says Benfield.
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