Young Marmalade

Product: Young Marmalade

People behind it:
Name: Crispin Moger, managing director

Young Marmalade – www.youngmarmalade.co.uk – is a combination insurance and vehicle sale and/or leasing service aimed at young first-time drivers and their parents. The idea was the brainchild of managing director Crispin Moger, who started working in the family vehicle leasing business in 2000 when he left university. He realised the high cost of insurance for young drivers was a major problem for many parents, some of whom took out an insurance policy in their name, with the child as named driver.

 

How innovative?
Young Marmalade offers a package of low-cost, fixed-price insurance policies and a range of new or nearly-new reliable cars with a minimum of four EuroNCAP safety stars. The cars offered also have smaller engines, so the “boy racer” factor is reduced. Additional driver training (Pass Plus or equivalent) is an integral part of the scheme. Insurance prices are fixed regardless of postcode and parents are included free of charge.

Market success
The main problem Young Marmalade faced at launch was that it was a new concept. Unable to run big-budget ad campaigns, the company has focused on building business by word of mouth and low-key marketing at places such as county shows, where significant numbers of relatively well-off parents can be found. The company recently rebranded, with a new identity and marketing materials created by MB Group, which took an equity stake rather than a fee.

How it fits
Young Marmalade gets special prices from car manufacturers and insurers, and claims to be able to offer customers a deal which includes a new car, with fully comprehensive insurance, for less than the usual monthly cost of insurance alone. The idea is to appeal to cash-conscious parents of 17- to 25-year-olds who don’t want to see their children driving dangerous old bangers, and it seems to work.