It is inevitable. When you think about how life insurance is marketed, you probably cannot help but recall images of evocative TV advertisements that inevitably feature some cute toddlers, the aged and jingles like “…he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother…”, and lest we forget, a variety of adverts in newspapers and magazines sporting corny slogans like “Cash if you die. Cash if you don’t.”

Although these direct marketing campaigns may succeed in making you aware of your responsibilities, chances are slim that you will be inspired to call the boldly printed toll free number that either appears at the bottom of the TV screen or somewhere on the printed ad.

The main reason for this is that life insurance is not a typical As-Seen-On-TV impulse purchase. Instead, it is a rational purchase – something that can only be sold if a need exists. And even then, most of us would want to inform ourselves that the life insurance product we eventually end up buying, is the best match to our personal circumstances.

The insurance companies are – their rather costly marketing campaigns in spite – fully aware of this fact. This is why they make extensive use of intermediaries to undertake the selling on their behalf.

These intermediaries are either agents or brokers.