Singapore – Insurance company AIA Singapore has created a new role within the firm, chief product proposition officer (CPPO), and it has elevated its former regional business development director, Irma Hadikusuma, to take on the new position, where she officially starts in September.
The new role was created as part of AIA Singapore’s commitment to focusing on reorienting strategic priorities to stay ahead of the curve and provide innovative experiences and propositions to customers.
As part of her elevation, Hadikusuma and her new product proposition team will be providing strategic direction to drive the innovation, development, and management of a compelling, customer-centric, and synergetic proposition portfolio for all the company’s distribution channels.
Hadikusuma brings with her more than 18 years of experience. She joined AIA Singapore in 2013 as head of customer segment management, and this was followed by a five-year stint as head of product, funds development, and implementation team, overseeing the development, management, and implementation of products, as well as ‘Investment Linked Policy’ (ILP) funds in Singapore. Prior to joining AIA Singapore, she has also held several actuarial, business development, and marketing roles at various life insurance firms.
Sze Keed Wong, AIA Singapore’s chief executive officer, commented that she is delighted to welcome Hadikusuma as the new chief product proposition officer, where she will play an essential role in our transformation into an ‘Organization of the Future’ and digital-first life insurer.
“With her extensive and rounded experience in marketing and actuarial science, Irma will lead AIA Singapore’s ambition to elevate our innovative offerings to a whole new level, all with the intention of fulfilling our brand promise of empowering Singaporeans to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives,” said Wong.
Singapore – With employee well-being a key factor in determining an organization’s success, AXA Insurance has decided to launch its new ‘Better Me Business’, an employee benefits solution designed for SMEs and start-ups in Singapore.
The new ‘Better Me Business’, which is part of the company’s enhanced #BetterMe employee benefits proposition for businesses of all sizes and needs, features a wide range of plan and rider options that cater to different coverage needs and budgets. It also goes beyond medical benefits to include supplementary health and wellness services that can help boost employee satisfaction and productivity, and it does not come with any minimum group size requirement.
Firstly, companies and their employees will get comprehensive coverage without the constraints of sub-limits, allowing them to have greater certainty about how much of their medical bills will be covered if they have to undergo major or minor medical procedures.
Another employee benefit is a range of health and wellness services that are more often associated with larger companies, such as a chronic disease management program, mental support through in-person or virtual consultations, and fitness and wellness experiences at exclusive rates, as well as discounted health screening packages.
Meanwhile, employees can also get an added layer of personalization with the option to enhance their coverage according to their needs, such as critical illness insurance, personal accident insurance, and general practitioner coverage, as well as specialist coverage, and dental coverage.
And lastly, the solution offers both the company and employee the convenience of accessing policy information and services through a one-stop HR portal and MyAXA app. They will be able to easily track claims and generate reports on the platform, which helps to reduce administrative work and increase efficiency.
Julien Callard, AXA Insurance’s managing director for Retail and Health, shared that they want to better serve enterprises by offering a comprehensive employee benefits solution which not only takes care of their employees’ health protection needs for peace of mind, but that can also help improve their physical and mental well-being.
“Companies who invest in the well-being of their employees can benefit from improved productivity and performance, and importantly build a stronger and more resilient workforce,” said Callard.
Manila, Philippines – Insurance company Chubb in the Philippines has recently announced the appointment of its new country manager, Mari Rachelle [Cielo] Canta, effective starting 1 July.
Canta replaces incumbent country manager Peter van Ratingen, who has since then been appointed to the role of head of consumer lines for Australia and New Zealand at Chubb.
In her new role, Canta will oversee the operations and business development activities of Chubb’s key business lines in the Philippines namely, property and casualty as well as accident and health insurance. She will be also responsible for the management of regulatory relationships, strategic partnerships and affinity relationships.
Canta joined Chubb in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer for the Philippines. Her well-balanced acumen on all facets of finance, planning and controllership as well as operational risk is complemented by her strong general management skills. Prior to joining Chubb, she worked for a decade with insurance company AON, moving to roles of increasing responsibility in the Philippines as well as Singapore.
In addition, she has extensive experience in the banking sector, from merger and acquisition integration to board and senior leadership team responsibilities.
She will report to Edward Ler, head of Southeast Asia at Chubb.
Paul McNamee, regional president for Asia Pacific at Chubb, said, “Cielo is a strategic and hands-on leader who has strong market knowledge and relationships. Our business will benefit greatly from her deep local experience to build sustainable partnerships with our distribution partners and customers.”
Thailand – As a lifestyle product, you can always trust that a campaign on insurance is sure to touch hearts and ignite sentiment from the audience. Insurance group FWD in Thailand did just that but with a little spin-off of the usual creative films that are served by brands.
The twist isn’t one bit of a loud and attention-grabbing element, but a ‘slow burn’ or one that takes its time with a narrative – through the form of a ‘musicumentary’.
The campaign was created with creative agency GREYnJ UNITED Thailand, through its sister agency, Black&White, and instead of presenting a finished creative, the audience is taken to a 10-minute documentary, sort of a ‘behind-the-scene’, where a young composer has been briefed by FWD to develop a song for the campaign that would center on its slogan ‘Celebrate living’.
So instead of just surprising the audience with the song itself, FWD shows the ‘meaning of life’ through the journey of the young composer in finding the ‘right lyrics’.
In a true depiction of one’s creative process, the composer grabs a notebook and starts drawing inspiration from social media and memories. As the young man deep dives into the different people he sees on social media, he starts to reflect on what the real meaning of life is. He looks into a couple playing with dogs, a woman enjoying a meal, a man indulging in a massage, and another woman energetically exercising in a gym, as well as a group of friends having fun and a father taking care of his child.
In the end, still with no lyrics in hand, the composer takes one last shot on an elderly that has met a car accident, losing her ability to feel on one side of her face. In the film, the retired senior is shown to have lost all hope but is slowly getting back up through the power of music, and playing the guitar.
“Music healed my muscles…it healed me,” she says.
With this, the film comes to a conclusion with the composer’s realization that after all his search for the ‘meaning of life’, in the end, it’s simply a call to just “live it.”
He looks back at the people he has taken as study and realized that to live a good life is to simply continue enjoying the things that the said people are already doing – to eat, play with dogs, get a massage, dance, and live with the people we love.
GREYnJ UNITED Thailand shared that the campaign’s aim is to shift the industry’s norm and change the way people feel about insurance, something which is typically built on fear tactics and even distrust.
“The combination between music and good storytelling allows the brand message to take center stage of the audience’s hearts effectively. It’s another way to encourage people to nurture a passion for life and empower people to live life to the fullest without hesitation,” said the agency’s Creative Director of Black&White Arnon Kantawang.
The campaign is an integrated communication and will cover TVC, outdoor media, radio, and online film targeting people in ‘Segment G’, those that are young at heart, creative minded, and aged between 18 and 35.
Pavarisa Chumvigrant, chief branding, and communications officer at FWD Thailand, said, “GREYnJ UNITED via Black&White showed us its expertise in both strategic planning and creative excellence. They truly understand FWD’s initiatives on empowering people to celebrate Living and our vision in changing the way people feel about insurance.”
Black&White’s Business Director Sureeporn Kulchotehirun also commented that the life insurance market in Thailand is highly competitive, and therefore a strong brand presence and trustworthiness are becoming a key consideration for customers.
“We’re pleased to partner with FWD and leverage our creative expertise to address the business problems of this challenger brand,” said Kulchotehirun.
In January of this year, FWD in Singapore has also picked creative agency Grey to manage its integrated and creative campaigns.
Manila, Philippines – Philam Life, the Philippines-based insurance company by multinational insurance and finance firm AIA Group, has partnered with India’s growth marketing platform Lemnisk, to implement a Customer Data Platform (CDP), aiming to deliver an orchestrated and personalized customer experience.
Lemnisk provides CDP-led personalization and real-time marketing automation solutions that deliver customer experiences that aim to bring increased conversions, retention, and growth for enterprises.
During the pilot engagement, Lemnisk will be collaborating to amplify Philam Life’s digital leads funnel and increase existing customer engagement on its digital properties.
According to Philam Life’s CMO Leo Tan, the insurance company is at an exciting time where the pandemic has pushed them to fast track the development of their digital capabilities.
“Piloting a CDP is the first step towards a more customer-centric approach in lead generation and we are excited to welcome Lemnisk onboard as we collaboratively create a more relevant and stronger leads management program that will benefit potential customers,” said Tan.
Meanwhile, Subra Krishnan, the CEO of Lemnisk, commented that they are immensely excited at the opportunity to partner with Philam Life in its journey to create an engine for phenomenal customer experience and amplify its business objectives.
“The pandemic has mandated a strong data strategy foundational to long-term customer value and the way brands like AIA Philam Life have responded truly sets them apart. We look forward to innovating together and exploring valuable use cases,” said Krishnan.
Hong Kong – Insurance company AXA has announced the rollout of its new global brand campaign aimed at creating inspiration for confidence and progress.
Embodying the brand’s ‘Know You Can’ brand signature, the new brand campaign centers on the purpose of “act for human progress by protecting what matters.” This means evolving the meaning of the brand’s promise from empowering an individual’s self-belief towards being an enabler of progress through collective and connected confidence. In doing so, it seeks to make the brand a trusted and reliable beacon for its stakeholders.
In addition, the campaign is directly inspired by what most need nowadays: optimism. With the global pandemic having a massive impact on the physical and mental health of people around the world, the brand campaign’s message can be summed as “when you feel confident you can go far. When you feel protected by AXA you can go further.”
“This new brand campaign underscores AXA’s continuous commitment to being a true partner for our customers and helping them to achieve their goals. We hope to inspire people with this impactful campaign to embrace the future with confidence and build a better world together,” said Sally Wan, chief executive officer at AXA Hong Kong and Macau.
https://youtu.be/RU6rPImz7L4
The new AXA brand campaign will first roll out in the Asia Pacific, particularly in Hong Kong, where the campaign will be promoted across TV, digital and social media, and on outdoor billboards at strategic locations.
One of the initial parts of the campaign is a short film produced by AXA, which focuses on a young girl’s dream to become a soccer player. Throughout the storyline, the young girl faces a lot of obstacles, from being bullied in school to having seen a riot in their local area. Despite the adversities, she manages to emerge victorious as she plays for a large crowd.
Overall, the brand’s campaign is a focus point for AXA’s commitment to supporting its customers, small-to-medium enterprises and the wider community, giving them the confidence to move forward.
“We are proud and delighted to be the first Asian market to launch this powerful brand campaign. To further reinforce our brand promise ‘Know You Can’ among Hong Kong citizens and build up the impact of this meaningful brand campaign, we will also introduce a series of local inspiring true stories surrounding the themes of Climate Change, BetterMe and Health throughout this year,” said Andrea Wong, chief marketing and customer officer of AXA Hong Kong and Macau.
Manila, Philippines – Philippine telco Globe, in a bid to add value and “peace of mind” to customers amid the ongoing pandemic, is now entitling its Globe at Home (GAH) Prepaid WiFi users to a ₱140.5K in free medical coverage services.
Through the offering, GAH aims to move beyond just providing connectivity and coverage to Filipino households but also to grant ‘extra care’ through GInsure. Powered by SingLife and GCash, GInsure provides free medical insurance for three months to prepaid subscribers against COVID-19 and dengue.
GAH users can avail of the free medical coverage offering when they register to GAH promos HomeSURF99 and up, SURF4ALL99 or HomeWATCH199 and up.
With HomeSURF99, users get 10GB worth of data for five days at ₱99. With its free 1GB data per day refreshed and replenished daily for five days, users can send messages through Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber, stream YouTube videos, and shop online via Lazada and Shopee on top of the remaining 5GB open access data allocation. In addition, HomeSurf99 can support as many as four to six mobile devices or gadgets all at the same time.
“Due to the pandemic, security, safety, health, and peace of mind are the top priorities of most Filipino families. People now are extra careful and concerned for the health and safety of their loved ones. With these in mind, Globe At Home is doing its part to help our prepaid customers have one less worry by giving them free health insurance for three months,” said Darius Delgado, Globe head for broadband business.
He added, “We believe that the free insurance protection will go a long way in helping families during these times when their means of livelihood are particularly challenged.”
Manila, Philippines – Insurance company Manulife Philippines has released its share of New Year ad, holistically capturing 2020, and doing everyone a favor through its intimate full-year review of the challenging and eventful year that was.
Titled ‘Goodbye, Hello’, Manulife’s two-minute film ultimately defines the art of subtlety as it drops any brand mention or suggestive placement of insurance but in the credits scene. The film rather focused on ‘life’ itself, and the journey that has taken everyone on an unprecedented ride, from the eruption of the country’s Taal Volcano at the beginning of the year down to the pandemic, moving everyone and everything to operate virtually.
“The year 2020 taught us a lot of things. Because of the pandemic, our values and priorities have changed. We focused on the truly essential, and realized what we must do to make our loved ones feel cherished and protected,” said Melissa Henson, senior vice president, and chief marketing officer of Manulife Philippines.
“The new year gives Filipinos the opportunity to look back and look ahead at the same time, and we at Manulife Philippines are determined as ever to be with them in every step of their financial journey. As our new digital film aptly puts it—when life stops, we keep going with you,” added Henson.
The film is narrated through the story of one man Miguel and his Lola Nora, or grandma in Filipino. It takes viewers on a month-by-month review, touching on the trends that everyone has learned to normalize amid adapting to the lockdown in the pandemic – such as having more time to grow plants at home, shopping more items from e-commerce, and engaging in short video platform TikTok.
The short film was released on the company’s YouTube and Facebook channels, where it currently has 400K views on the former.
In the past year, Manulife Philippines has rolled out various initiatives, such as creating HealthFlex, a health insurance plan that enables customers to customize their health coverage based on their needs.
Singapore – After a four-month-long pitching process, Grey’s Singapore arm Grey Group Singapore (Grey) has won the appointment of insurance company FWD Singapore as its lead agency, battling out 18 other agencies.
The deal is inked to span 12 months, with the option to extend for another year, and charges Grey with the management of all of FWD Singapore’s integrated and creative campaigns. The partnership will also see Grey offering its strategic counsel and advice on brand strategy to the company.
FWD Singapore is part of FWD group which spans Asia such as in Hong Kong & Macau, countries Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, offering life and medical insurance, as well as general insurance, and employee benefits.
Grey Group Singapore’s CEO Konstantin Popovic
Taking over the mantle from incumbent DDB Asia Pacific, Grey Group Singapore’s CEO Konstantin Popovic said, “We are absolutely thrilled and honored to become part of FWD’s next growth phase. The brand’s pioneering spirit and ongoing commitment to innovation present tremendous creative opportunities.”
“Coinciding with how this category could transform for the better in an ever-changing, fast-paced world, we can’t wait to create famously effective campaigns together,” added Popovic.
Just recently, Grey has launched a new division, Grey Commerce Collective SEA, which saw the consolidation of Grey Singapore’s Shopper marketing arm to the collective.
Hong Kong – Insurance group FWD is launching a podcast series titled ‘Changing the way people feel about insurance…with FWD’, in an aim to freshen peoples’ perspective towards insurance.
The podcast will offer insights into FWD’s innovative approach and areas of expertise as well as the exciting trends in Asia’s dynamic insurance industry by means of expertise from FWD’s leadership team across Asia.
Its CEO, Huynh Thanh Phong is the first guest for the pilot episode of FWD’s podcast series. The episode centered around his personal philosophy that inspired his work, revealing what his customers have taught him, and describes how FWD is taking a new approach to a legacy industry.
Huynh Thanh Phong, FWD Group CEO
Hosted by broadcast journalist and writer Fiona Mattesini from podcast production group The Podcast People, FWD’s future podcast episodes will be focused on FWD’s customers, business partners, and employees and will cover topics ranging from FWD’s brand and culture, to its customer-led approach, to technologies and industry trends that are driving business initiatives.
“We’re delighted to announce our first-ever podcast series which is designed to bring powerful stories and helpful insights and information to our customers, partners, and employees located all across Asia. FWD is a digital-first insurer that prides itself on innovation, so launching a unique and educational podcast is a very logical step and aligns with our ambition to engage and inspire our customers in new and exciting ways,” said Azim Mithani, FWD chief of staff.
He added, “Today’s audiences are looking for original, on-demand content that sheds new light on old topics. This is exactly what our new podcast series is all about and we hope it will allow us to illuminate trends and leading-edge solutions in insurance to our audiences throughout Asia.”
Meanwhile, Bernadette Stevens, FWD Vice President for Brand and Marketing, said, “Our new podcast series will enable us to start a fresh conversation in what is a largely unoccupied space in the Asian insurance industry. Our aim is to stimulate interest in insurance and explain complicated subject matters in a creative and accessible way. At the same time, we are providing access to deeply candid conversations with FWD executives that illustrate exactly why we’re different and ahead of the curve, and ultimately changing the way people feel about insurance.”
FWD’s future podcast episodes will be released every two weeks, and are available on online platforms Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
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