Industry

Automotive / travel / insurance / financial services

Security Need

To help members get more value out of their memberships and protect their sensitive data

Solution

Norton 360

Results

Delivered powerful cybersecurity that defends against advanced online threats, helping members stay safer online

Partner Overview

AAA is a federation that consists of 19 clubs across the country. There are over 57 million members across the entire federation. AAA Northeast is the fifth largest club in the federation, with over 6.5 million members. Their territory covers the entire state of Massachusetts, the entire state of Rhode Island, Western Connecticut, northern New Jersey, the 5 boroughs of New York City, parts of NY state, and Salem, NH. The Director of Strategy and Partnerships for AAA Northeast, Carlo Mirasol, sat down with Norton to share his experience with our suite of cyber safety products, and talk about the role Norton has played in helping members get more value out of their AAA Northeast memberships and keeping their sensitive data safer online.

The Opportunity

Carlo explained that when AAA Northeast is looking for partnerships, they focus on partners who can offer products and services that are integral to their members’ everyday lives, and enhance the value of those memberships. “First and foremost, our members care about safety, security, and peace of mind, which are all a big part of our brand values. They know that they can call AAA for help (e.g., roadside service, etc.) and we’ll be there for them. We also provide members with value in other ways, like through our discounts (on things like hotel rooms, rental cars, restaurants, entertainment, etc.), which a lot of people take advantage of,” he said.

When presented with the opportunity to have a partner in cybersecurity, which they weren’t offering to members at that time, Carlo said AAA Northeast was very interested. 

“We were very interested in the device security offering. We didn’t have one, and it just made sense to have one for our members, especially with how they live their lives. Plus, it presented revenue opportunity for the club. There was a mutually beneficial outcome for each of us,” he added.

Why AAA Northeast chose Norton as their cyber safety partner

Carlo further explained that since travel is such a fundamental part of the offerings at AAA Northeast, it just made sense to partner with a cyber safety partner who could help keep members protected while they are hitting the roads. 

“Let’s take VPN, for example - that’s a critical feature to offer members, and that is just one feature/benefit of the service,” he said. Carlo said that it was the Norton name and its brand reputation that finally sealed the deal for AAA Northeast. “It was really the Norton name that won us over. Norton is the premier name in cybersecurity and device security - what better partner is there to have in that space for our members?” he added.

Implementation

When describing the implementation process, Carlo talked about all the technical work that Norton put in to ensure everything ran smoothly. “That’s what I love, the Norton team truly invested the time to make this partnership work. You guys were willing to come to the table and meet our needs,” he explained.

He added that while the process was intense, it was time well spent. “When the effort is put in upfront, it makes things a lot smoother on the back end. Norton has been a very adaptable, willing partner, open to experimenting with new things and catering to our needs, like building a product suite that works for our members and the boundaries we’ve set for ourselves.”

Results

Carlo explained that adding Norton 360 to AAA Northeast’s portfolio has helped them hit their acquisition targets every year, helping them grow year over year. “We’ve also discovered that AAA members renew the Norton product at a higher rate than with other products, which is a win-win for everyone in terms of revenue generation,” he said.

“All in all, we’re very happy with our partnership with Norton. We’ve had great results and we get good feedback on the product. We hope to continue evolving the relationship with Norton, and continuing to add new Norton 360 products and services,” Carlo added.

A strong partnership, a bright future

Carlo says he would 100% recommend partnering with Norton. “From a partnership standpoint, I really value the flexibility, the willingness to work with us, and the great partnership from negotiation to implementation, to actually being in market,” he said.

He added, “I feel the genuine investment in our partnership with Norton. A lot of people talk about partnership and investment, but many just think about money and the transactional aspect. There’s been an investment of time, resources, and actual care in this partnership that we’re very happy about. That’s why I’ve recommended Norton to our other clubs, because I have so much trust in the relationship.”