Insurance Archives - MARKETECH APAC

Singapore – Financial services company Singlife has recently unveiled their latest brand campaign, designed to inspire and empower individuals across Singapore to embrace the ‘can-do’ spirit on their journey towards financial freedom.

Singlife’s new campaign via MullenLowe Singapore uses the quintessentially local expression “Caaaaan!” throughout its marketing and communications assets, highlighting the parallels between its brand story and Singapore’s national journey.

This phrase highlighted in the campaign also serves as a reference to Singapore’s spirit of resilience and determination, while simultaneously showcasing Singlife’s commitment to helping Singaporeans achieve their financial goals.

Titled ‘The Dream’, the campaign depicts the aspiration of everyday Singaporeans to retire early with peace of mind, showing a middle-aged couple embarking on an adventurous and relaxing retirement journey with Pierre Png, Singlife’s brand ambassador, showing up as their ‘dream’ neighbour. The film wraps up with the significance of pursuing one’s dreams, and how Singlife empowers Singaporeans to take the first step in achieving their vision of financial freedom.

‘The Dream’ builds on Singlife’s first campaign ‘The Jugglers’ and will also be rolled out over the next few weeks through an integrated, multi-channel communications strategy, encompassing broadcast, radio, digital, and out-of-home advertising (OOH).

Debra Soon, group head of brand, communications, and marketing at Singlife, said, “Some people have grand dreams, while others have modest ones – all are entirely valid. Whatever your dream, Singlife is here to help you confidently say ‘can’ and achieve it with financial freedom.”

Meanwhile, Paul Soon, chief executive officer, MullenLowe Singapore and China, expressed, “In partnership with Singlife, our goal was to craft a campaign that inspires honest conversations among Singaporeans, instilling in them the confidence and reassurance needed to believe they can pave their own way to financial freedom.”

Singapore – To promote its new protection offering, insurance company Income and BBH Singapore have teamed up to release the music video ‘Fallin’ Apart’, performed by the American band The Calling, in a bid to delve into the themes of resilience and courage to face life, even when it is falling apart.

According to the agency, ‘Fallin’ Apart’ emotively conveys the stress, uncertainty and raw feelings which can result from an unexpected health issue, married with the realisation that one is not adequately covered.

Moreover, the viewers are also directed to the campaign microsite where they can assess the potential size of their own insurance protection gap via a ‘protection gap calculator’.

Stella Tan, vice president and head of brand and segment marketing at Income Insurance, said, “Staying adequately covered with insurance is vitally important but often, easily overlooked. Now more than ever is the right time to invest in life, health and critical illness cover following the aftermath of the pandemic and the current economic downturn where unforeseen circumstances can hit anytime. We’re amazed by The Calling’s ability to transform our message into a powerful rock song that connects with our audience on a personal and emotive level.”

Meanwhile, Luke Somasundram, senior copywriter at BBH Singapore, commented, “Songs have the profound ability to reach a place deep in our brains by way of our hearts. And crafting one with The Calling lets us tap into nostalgia to convey a message that’s more relevant and urgent than ever.”

MARKETECH APAC also reached out to BBH Singapore and Income to learn more about the campaign’s creative direction and factors considered prior to the music video launch.

BBH Singapore told MARKETECH APAC that the campaign was simple yet an urgent message for viewers to avail insurance–told in a way that brings the messaging to life via a music video.

“The message behind this campaign is a simple but urgent one – it’s about ensuring that you have adequate insurance coverage before a medical emergency strikes. The song was a vehicle to bring to life the anxiety and helplessness one feels when one doesn’t know if they have adequate coverage,” the agency.

They also added that for the music video’s sentimental messaging, while they are full aware that not many people are comfortable with discussing sad topics, people are always drawn to forms of media that communicate such feeling.

“People don’t want to talk about sad or uncomfortable topics – like whether they have adequate insurance coverage. But it’s so naturally human to love a sad song. We realised the right song could let people connect with the emotions they would feel if they didn’t have adequate coverage, which in turn could inspire them to get covered. So we decided to create that song,” BBH Singapore told MARKETECH APAC.

They also added, “Singapore has one of the highest insurance protection gaps in Asia. This campaign was aimed at Singaporeans in the 30s to 40s who hadn’t ensured they were adequately covered. We worked with The Calling, a band that was massively popular in the early 2000s because we knew this was a band that would have strong emotional resonance with our target audience.”

Meanwhile, Income told MARKETECH APAC told the campaign is rooted from the brand’s objective of raising awareness and realisation amongst Singaporeans on the importance and urgency of having adequate protection to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances that can hit anytime.

Citing data from the Life Insurance Association (LIA), Income says that Singapore faces a 21% protection gap in mortality and 74% in critical illness

“To ensure that we resonate with Singaporeans as we tackle the topic of insurance protection and financial readiness, we turned to music, which is what many turn to when confronting difficult feelings or challenging times in life and related to Singaporeans in an entertaining way that cuts above the noise,” Income told MARKETECH APAC.

They also added, “In this campaign, we lyrically brought to life the campaign message that “Life can fall apart if you are not adequately covered” and motivated Singaporeans to cease the silver lining and beat the odds by being protected ahead of time.”

While there is a myriad of factors that may have contributed to their increased traction across the primary campaign touchpoints, Income told MARKETECH APAC it boils down to two factors.

“The use of music, which allows us to effectively speak to our target audience in a unique way that engages the mind and tugs at the heart strings, [and] the engagement of The Calling, which is a band that our target audience is familiar with and hence, would be more open to listen to the song and subsequently the message that we want to bring across,” they concluded.

Manila, Philippines – Digital life insurer Singlife Philippines and personal finance marketplace Moneymax has announced their collaboration to make the first-ever Philippine mobile life insurance app through the launching of the ‘Singlife Plan & Protect’ app.

The app enables users to build an emergency fund with a high-interest account, access a guided financial planning tool, and buy customizable life insurance & investment products.

The newly formed partnership is the first of its kind for both digital platforms. For Moneymax, it marks the launch of its life insurance offering in addition to its travel and fire insurance pages, which were launched earlier this year. On the other hand, Singlife will be leveraging its platform to provide fuss-free financial solutions that in the past were only available through traditional means.

Commenting on the app launch, Rien Hermans, CEO of Singlife Philippines, said, “Unexpected life events—such as disability or even death of the family breadwinner, or serious illnesses within the family—can drain a lifetime’s worth of savings and even worse, confront families with a high, hard-to-pay-back debt.”

“For the Juans and Marias of today who work hard and plan to achieve their goals, we want to empower them—with the help of Moneymax—to take control of their hard-earned money. The Singlife Plan & Protect App can guide them through taking proactive steps to make sure they will always have money when they need it”, he added.

Meanwhile, Prashant Aggarwal, CEO of MoneyHero Group, commented, “Through our strategic partnership with Singlife, we strengthen our commitment to expanding our offers and increasing awareness of digital insurance in the country. Moneymax and Singlife share the same mission of helping customers find financial products that best match their needs and budget, which is what this partnership is all about.”

Singapore – Etiqa Insurance Singapore, a life and general insurance provider, unveiled its latest brand campaign, ‘With You for the Ride’, which aims to ignite the spirit of adventure among Singaporeans and invites them to explore life’s diverse possibilities and excitement in unexpected journeys.

Through the use of compelling narratives and dynamic visuals that appeal to the target audiences, Etiqa Insurance Singapore seeks to transform the way insurance is portrayed. The ‘With You for the Ride’ campaign showcases the company’s dedication to humanising insurance, making it relatable to the aspirations and dreams of Singaporeans.

By fostering a sense of partnership, trust, and confidence, Etiqa Insurance Singapore aims to build meaningful connections with customers and help them navigate life’s journey with ease.

The company will also spearhead a holistic array of initiatives across a comprehensive 360 campaign mix across online and offline channels. Etiqa Insurance Singapore aims to establish itself as a trusted companion through these initiatives, providing financial protection and support while empowering individuals to pursue their passions and dreams.

The ‘With You for the Ride’ campaign will be widely featured across digital, social media, and out-of-home channels, including bus shelters, MRT stations, and movie theatres in Singapore.

Shirley Tan, chief marketing officer at Etiqa Insurance Singapore, said, “We believe that life is meant to be lived with enthusiasm and a spirit of adventure. We take immense pride in being the steadfast partner our customers can count on, no matter where their journey leads. Our fresh ‘With You for the Ride’ campaign encapsulates this very essence, illustrating that we stand by individuals through every twist and turn, defying the constraints of age.”

She further adds, “In a world where uncertainties abound, Etiqa aspires to redefine the insurance journey by underscoring the significance of a robust and unwavering alliance between insurers and their esteemed customers. We fully comprehend the value of trust in cultivating enduring relationships, and our fresh campaign embodies Etiqa’s dedication to protection and transparency, pledging to be the unwavering partner that our customers can depend on.”

Hong Kong – Multinational insurance company Manulife in Hong Kong has announced new members of its leadership team namely Thaddeus Yu as chief strategy officer and Alice Li as chief communications officer. Together, the executives will report directly to Patrick Graham, chief executive officer of Manulife Hong Kong and Macau.

Yu succeeds Carrie Tong, who was recently appointed as chief operations officer for Hong Kong and Macau.

In his new role, Yu is responsible for setting the overall strategic priorities of the Hong Kong and Macau business, ensuring prudent choices, and executing plans aligned with the company’s priorities. He is also in charge of assessing necessary and effective changes to the company’s business model to ensure the company stays on course in achieving its strategic objectives.

With over 15 years of experience in various local and regional positions at Cigna, AIA, and Bank of Montreal Insurance, Yu joined Manulife’s Asia strategy team in 2021. During his time in his previous position, he led strategy development, spearheaded critical business initiatives, and provided guidance on strategic projects while also managing the Asia CEO office.

Meanwhile, Li’s responsibilities include leading strategy development for external and internal communication goals, building corporate reputation and a culture of pride, and promoting the company’s global Impact Agenda, aligned with Manulife’s global communications team and strategy.

With more than two decades of experience in corporate and marketing communications, Li is a seasoned professional who joined Manulife in 2020. Since then, she has made significant strides in the company’s communication strategy and impact. Prior to Manulife, her career spanned diverse industries, including energy, telecommunications, IT, and insurance, as she held senior positions with global brands such as Shell, SmarTone-Vodafone, Microsoft, and AXA.

Speaking on the new appointments, Graham said, “With their extensive knowledge of our company’s strategic priorities and their functional expertise, I am confident that the talented new members of our senior management team will be pivotal in driving us towards achieving our ambitions in Hong Kong, Macau and the broader GBA markets as we embark on the next phase of our growth agenda. Their appointments also highlight our ongoing commitment to harnessing top talent through an active leadership development pipeline.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Another Raya campaign is gracing our screens. The love and care for family are one of the biggest reminders of the Hari Raya celebrations and Zurich Malaysia, the insurance provider, has unveiled a short film on a rather mellow touch circling the theme and one that truly tugs at the heartstrings.

Done in collaboration with Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), the brand’s heart-warming film titled ‘Kepulangan’, or which means ‘The Return’, centres around Zurich’s Raya theme of embracing togetherness. The film tells the story of Zyra and her in-laws as they navigate the emotions surrounding the passing of her husband, the son in the family. Through these emotional upheavals, she discovers upon returning to his family home that, in the end, they will always belong together as a family and that the bond of a family is forever.

Christopher Chong, associate creative director of MBCS, shared that when they put the script together, they thought about what it really is that ties people together.

“Love and connections are sometimes bridged by a spouse, parent, or friend, but what happens when that bridge is gone? Our story is meant to show that while there might be uncertainties in life, one can still have peace of mind with preparedness, and the underlying love of family will always be there, to help you find togetherness, even if not bound in blood,” said Chong.

Meanwhile, Zurich CMO Thai Mei Lih, said, “At Zurich, we understand the importance of family, and the ties that bind us. When there’s safety, security and protection in place, families and loved ones can truly embrace togetherness with certainty and peace-of-mind. The MBCS team have managed to deliver a film that speaks to this message that’s at the very heart of what Zurich stands for.”

Chong further adds, “This message of the return is deeper than just returning home for Raya, it speaks to the return, and the coming together as a family, even when things don’t go as planned. We hope all Malaysians enjoy the film this Raya and cherish the important messages of family and love within.”

This isn’t the first film that MBCS has launched for a brand amidst the commemoration of Hari Raya in Malaysia. Recent collaborations for Raya include those of personal care brand Safi and local clothing line Bulan Bintang

Manila, Philippines – Multinational insurance company AXA in the Philippines has named Bernardo Serrano Lopez as its new president and chief executive officer. He joins AXA Philippines following his recent stint as chief executive officer at AXA Colpatria, the company’s insurance arm in Colombia.

Lopez is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of senior leadership experience. He began his journey with AXA in Chile in 1998 before he was appointed regional CEO for AXA Latin America in 2001 and subsequently general manager of AXA Spain in 2003.

Between 2006 and 2011, he left AXA to set up his own successful company. In 2011, he rejoined AXA as CEO of AXA Brazil, overseeing the arrival of AXA in South America. He was later appointed as deputy CEO of AXA Colpatria in 2014, where he led the company’s entry in Colombia. He was named CEO of AXA Colpatria in 2016.

Speaking on his new role, Lopez said, “AXA has been part of my professional life for more than two decades, and I am thrilled to join one of the fastest growing markets for insurance, here in the Philippines.”

He added, “I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective to AXA Philippines as we continue to work together to help our customers protect what matters most to them.”

Meanwhile, Gordon Watson, chief executive officer at AXA Asia and Africa, commented, “With Bernardo’s extensive experience as a chief executive officer in the insurance industry and his entrepreneurial spirit and track record of transforming businesses, he is the perfect lead for our strategic ambitions in the Philippines.”

Philippines – Global merchant platform for SME, yufin, has partnered with Singapore-based insurance provider, Gigacover, to enable Filipino small businesses on the platform to access Gigacover health insurance products tailored to their needs at the touch of a button.

Under the partnership, the small businesses will also be able to access business protection and offer customised insurance products such as family and health insurance to their customers.

The platform said that the announcement comes as it has exceeded 15,000 merchant sign-ups since launching in Davao City, in the Philippines end of May 2022.

Shubhrendu Khoche, chief strategy and product officer at yufin, said, “Small businesses are the lifeblood of Southeast Asian economies and communities but many are underserved. Our partnership with Gigacover helps us bring insurance to last-mile merchants to give them peace of mind and to help them offer their customers much-needed access to insurance protection.”

Meanwhile, Chesca Figueroa, country manager and partnerships lead at Gigacover Philippines, noted, “With this partnership, we aim to further support yufin’s efforts in financial education, planning, and protection to their respective small merchants.”

Gerald Chua, head of merchant acquiring at yufin Philippines, commented, “We are delighted and humbled by the welcome yufin has received so far from our community merchant partners. We help small businesses manage their transactions through a suite of tools, products and services that help them grow and prosper.”

Liz Servañez, head of business development and partnerships at yufin, noted, “With partnerships such as our partnership with Gigacover, much-needed financial services products, like insurance protection can also be sacheted to make them accessible and affordable for the yufin merchant network and their customers.”

Hong Kong – Insurance company Manulife in Hong Kong has launched a multichannel marketing campaign to highlight how to increase the chances of survival against critical illness. This aims to promote Manulife’s two new critical illness plans, namely ManuPrimo Care and ManuPrimo Care.

Following on from the success of the ManuBright Care 2’s ‘Increase odds of survival against critical illness’ campaign in 2020, the latest ManuPrimo Care campaign takes a more positive view of a serious topic by emphasising how people have a better chance of survival with early preparation.

Developed with Manulife’s creative partner dentsu, the campaign kicked off on 1 August 2022 with a product launch event and the premiere of an action-packed commercial featuring well-known Hong Kong actors Gordon Lam and Louise Wong as product ambassadors. The commercial features a couple – Lam and Wong – who are special agents discussing the importance of upgrading their critical illness plans over dinner. It creatively promotes the health benefits and financial support of the plans to a wide target audience in Hong Kong.

Manulife’s large-scale campaign is featured in prime locations at Hong Kong and Causeway Bay MTR stations and outdoors on the Island Beverly shopping mall in Causeway Bay. Buses across the city, as well as bus shelters, have also been emblazoned with advertisements about the campaign. The campaign also includes an upcoming digital aspect to trigger social conversations and awareness among people in Hong Kong on the topic of how to better prepare for critical illness.

Moreover, the digital marketing campaign features a 90-second social video on YouTube and a 30-second video on the ViuTV app running in conjunction with the commercial. There is also a 35-second TVC on ViuTV and OpenTV to explain how the plans support customers on their recovery journey from diagnosis to treatment.

Kenneth Luk, Manulife’s head of marketing for Hong Kong and Macau, noted that the comprehensive campaign educates people about how the plans have been designed to give customers well-rounded protection with continuous care benefits and flexible cancer payout options.

“And by collaborating with local celebrities Gordon Lam and Louise Wong, the campaign will reach a wider audience motivating more people to obtain critical illness coverage earlier,” said Luk.

Meanwhile, Jeffry Gamble, dentsu International’s chief creative officer for Hong Kong, shared that the campaign takes a light-hearted and entertaining approach to talk about a serious and heavy topic.

“We worked closely with Manulife, Lam and Wong to create a creative campaign that resonates with people in Hong Kong while at the same time delivering the key messages on critical illness. The end result is an insurance ad campaign that for the first time in Hong Kong adopts a cinematic approach,” said Gamble.

Singapore – Budget Direct Insurance, the online digital insurance company in SEA, has reappointed digital marketing agency Tug as its partner. Tug was engaged by the company in 2020 to manage link acquisition and competitor analysis to boost local search rankings.

Following the renewal, the agency’s scope has been extended to include content, UX and conversion rate optimisation services (CRO), content strategy and landing page experience.

Budget Direct is part of an international insurance group providing insurance solutions for policyholders worldwide. Meanwhile, Tug, which also has offices in Sydney, London, Toronto and Berlin, is a specialist in performance media and uses a smart combination of data, media, content and technology to deliver improved return on investment for brands.

The account will be managed by Darran Hong, the recently appointed SEO Director at Tug Singapore, after the agency opened its doors in Southeast Asia earlier this year.

Willy Bilaro, digital manager for SEA of Budget Direct Insurance, said, “Having partnered with Tug for a number of years, we have been impressed by the depth of experience and their strategic understanding in driving digital awareness and engagement with our brand. The launch of its office in Singapore means we now have an [on-the-ground] presence which will only facilitate closer collaboration and results for the business and we’re delighted to continue our partnership.”

Karen Soo, managing director of Tug Singapore, commented, “Budget Direct Insurance is a leading insurance brand and one we are proud to be working with. As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, we look forward to continuing Tug’s association to ensure we deliver on their marketing objectives and return on investment.”