Go.Compare

Go Compare was established in November 2006 and is based in Newport, Wales. The company's founder was Hayley Parsons, who worked for Admiral Insurance for 14 years,{{cite news

|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/insurance/9367032/Go-Compare-founder-Hayley-Parsons-nets-3.2m-dividend.html

|title=Go Compare founder Hayley Parsons nets £3.2m dividend

|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=1 July 2012

|access-date=2013-01-11

|last=Dunkley|first=Jamie}} and was formerly head of business development at Confused.com.{{cite news |title=Start-up compares well for ex-Admiral worker |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-news/tm_headline=start-up-compares-well-for-ex-admiral-worker&method=full&objectid=18653451&siteid=50082-name_page.html |work=Western Mail |date=21 February 2007 |access-date=2 February 2010 }} Parsons was replaced as CEO by Jon Morrell following a takeover by insurance company esure in March 2015

It was the first comparison site to focus on features of insurance products rather than just listing prices,{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-news/2009/09/12/best-business-brains-receive-their-awards-at-celebration-of-local-talent-91466-24668772/|title=Best business brains receive their awards at celebration of local talent|author=Sion Barry|date=11 September 2009|work=walesonline}} which led to the company being invited to become a member of the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA).{{cite web|url=http://www.biba.org.uk/MediaCenterContentDetails.aspx?ContentID=987|title=Go Compare|publisher=BIBA}}

The company, which at the time was 49% owned by insurance company esure, posted a pre-tax profit of £34.7 million for 2011, up 15% on the previous year.

On 8 December 2014, esure acquired Go Compare in a deal worth £95 million.{{cite web|title = Newport-based Gocompare.com in £95m takeover deal|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-30374855|website = BBC News|access-date = 2015-06-14}} In November 2016 the company was the subject of a demerger from esure.{{cite web|url=http://ican.tddirectinvesting.co.uk/alliance-news/gocomparecom-shares-begin-trading-after-esure-demerger-allipo-03-11-2016/|title=Gocompare.com Shares Begin Trading After esure Demerger|date=3 November 2016|publisher=TD Direct Investing|access-date=4 November 2016}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In November 2017, ZPG's offer to buy the company for £460 million was rejected.{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a8b0afb8-983b-3417-a062-1ee6b2bc14d7 |title=ZPG confirms failed £460m bid for GoCompare.com |author=Aime Williams, Oliver Ralph |newspaper=Financial Times |date=14 November 2017}}

In December 2017, GoCompare announced the acquisition of MyVoucherCodes, one of the UK's largest online voucher code sites, in a £36.5m deal.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gocompare-myvouchercodes-takover-deal-buy-36-million-internet-comparison-websites-a8117701.html|title=GoCompare to buy MyVoucherCodes in £36.5m deal|date=19 December 2017|newspaper=Telegraph|access-date=19 December 2017}}

In November 2020, GoCompare agreed to a £594m takeover offer from Future plc, Britain’s biggest magazines publisher.{{Cite news|last=Sweney|first=Mark|date=2020-11-25|title=Country Life publisher Future to buy GoCompare for £594m|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/25/country-life-publisher-future-to-buy-gocompare-for-594m|access-date=2020-11-26|issn=0261-3077}}

GoCompare provides a comparison service for vehicle, life insurance in conjunction with its partners Neilson Financial Services,{{Cite web |date=2020-09-21 |title=Neilson FS partners with GoCompare to offer protection |url=https://www.covermagazine.co.uk/news/4020460/neilson-fs-partners-gocompare-offer-protection |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=www.covermagazine.co.uk |language=en}} home and pet insurance, and breakdown cover. It also provides comparison services for travel insurance, gas and electricity, broadband, loans, credit cards, mortgages and other financial products through preferred providers such as Energylinx and Experian. On 14 August 2012, the company launched "Covered mag", an online magazine that claims to be "unlike any other financial publication you've ever read".{{cite web|url=http://www.gocompare.com/covered/|title=Covered mag, presented by Gocompare.com|work=gocompare.com}}

On 19 August 2009, the company launched an advertising campaign featuring a fictional Italian tenor called Gio Compario, played by Wynne Evans.{{cite web|url=http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/927523/GoCompare-creates-opera-singer-Comparethemarkets-meerkat/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH|title=GoCompare creates opera singer to take on Comparethemarket's meerkat|work=marketingmagazine.co.uk}} The advertisements feature 'Gio' singing about the company to the tune of "Over There" in various locations. In 2015, the campaign was voted the UK's "most irritating advertisement".{{cite news|last=Burn|first=Rebecca|date=22 January 2015|title=The most annoying adverts from the past 15 years|newspaper=Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11359924/The-most-annoying-adverts-from-the-past-15-years.html|access-date=2016-11-04}}

In response to this reaction, Go Compare deliberately subverted the campaign in July 2012 by running a series of adverts where celebrity guests such as Sue Barker, Jimmy Carr, Stuart Pearce, Ray Mears, Louie Spence and Stephen Hawking lined up to "silence" the character of Gio Compario. Marketing officer Kevin Hughes said, "It was risky, but a brand has to listen to its customers."{{cite web|url=http://www.postonline.co.uk/post/feature/2234998/marketing-and-advertising-small-screen-big-rewards|title=Marketing and advertising: Small screen, big rewards?|work=www.postonline.co.uk}} The character returned in July 2015 after an 18-month break, singing as part of what Evans called a "much calmer performance".{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/go-compare-most-annoying-man-9723580|title=Go Compare: The most annoying man on telly is back|author=Karen Price|date=26 July 2015|work=walesonline}} The character appeared again in 2020 after coronavirus lockdown measures were eased in the UK in July 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_-GQqzx3hM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/g_-GQqzx3hM |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|publisher= Go Compare|title=Home Comforts Advertisement|access-date=11 July 2020}}{{cbignore}}

In September 2007 the company admitted that, on one occasion, an unlawful breach of privacy had taken place with regard to the passing on of data provided by customers. It said that this was the result of a breach of contract by a sub-contractor, Performance Direct, and stated that it would take immediate action to prevent it happening again.{{cite news |title=Personal details at risk on comparison websites |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article2499743.ece?print=yes&randnum=1151003209000 |work=The Times |date=22 September 2007 |access-date=2 February 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

In January 2008 the site was banned for a time by Google due to "irregular inbound links". This resulted in its share of search traffic for the term "car insurance" reducing from 17.49% to 2.31%.{{cite book |title=Personal Reputation Management - Making The Internet Work For You |last=Halpern |first=Louis |author2=Roy Murphy |pages=162–163 |year=2009 |publisher=Halpern Cowan Publishing |isbn=978-0-9562892-0-9 }} Gocompare.com was banned again in April 2009.{{cite news |title=GoCompare Car Insurance - www.gocompare.com - Go Compare Ban? |url=http://www.mns.co.uk/01212237.html |work=Money News Shopping |publisher=ASAP Ventures |date=23 April 2009 |access-date=2 February 2010 |archive-date=7 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107192013/http://www.mns.co.uk/01212237.html |url-status=dead }}

In August 2019 the company received criticism from road safety organisations after debuting an advert depicting the Gio Compario character crashing into a tree and flipping over.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3rkpLuoVuk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/N3rkpLuoVuk |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|title=GoCompare Tree|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}} The Advertising Standards Authority received over 70 complaints regarding the advertisement.{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2019-08-29/go-compare-insurance-advert-facing-criticism-over-car-crash-scene/|title=Go Compare advert draws complaints over 'insensitive' car crash scene|website=ITV News}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{Official website}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Go Compare}}

Category:Companies based in Newport, Wales

Category:Vehicle insurance

Category:Financial services companies established in 2006

Category:Comparison shopping websites

Category:Online financial services companies of the United Kingdom

Category:2006 establishments in the United Kingdom