In the 1950s, INA engaged in two notable marketing ventures: In 1955, it began an eight-year sponsorship of CBS Radio's popular Christmas Sing with Bing programs, starring Bing Crosby [REF].
As competition increased from "direct writers" (companies such as Allstate and State Farm that sold insurance directly to the consumer rather than through independent insurance agents), INA looked for ways to diversify as an insurance company.