Brand spotlight: AIA Group is a household name with an ambition to make HK and APAC healthier

It has been well documented that priorities have shifted as the pandemic rummaged through consumers’ lives in the past two years. Today issues such as health, wellness, mental well-being and a life of balance have emerged at the forefront of conversations.

With concepts such as work-life balance and creating better lifestyles on the rise, the AIA Group rolled out an initiative to help the public improve their health and wellness. Moreover, according to statistics provided by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of health, the life expectancies at birth for both males and females in Hong Kong have steadily risen during the past 50 years.

AIA, on a mission to ensure healthy living across, launched the "AIA One Billion" initiative is an ambition to engage a billion people by 2030.  Stuart Spencer (pictured below), CMO of AIA Group said, “Launching AIA One Billion extends our purpose of helping people live healthier, longer, better lives far beyond our immediate customer base. The campaign underscores our commitment to engage, educate and inspire communities across Asia to improve physical, mental and environmental wellness while championing financial inclusion.”

The campaign, goes well beyond ad collaterals and includes community programmes to ensure a wider reach. For example, the insurance company launched the "I'm In" gallery, inviting people to share what they are doing to have a better life on Instagram. "We use a softer approach to engage and influence our global audiences. By adding every small step, we will see the multiplier effect," said Spencer.

Asked by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE why AIA was so ambitious in its aim to reach such a wide pool of consumers, the company said lifestyle-related diseases have increased in recent years, accounting for more than 70% of all deaths. Physical inactivity, poor nutrition, smoking and excess alcohol consumption were factors that fuelled the rise of non-communicable diseases including cancer, diabetes, respiratory and heart disease, as well as mental conditions and disorders.

Emphasising that the initiative was not just a customer acquisition programme, Spencer said that as a major player in the insurance space, AIA Group believes that it has the responsibility to drive changes.

The position of marketing in the company

As a veteran in the insurance space, Spencer who has previously worked with firms such Chubb, Zurich Insurance and AIG said marketing "is the science behind the selling".  In the past four years with AIA, Spencer said the company believes in becoming a companion to the customers.

Earlier this year, it announced the extension of its "Free Vaccination Side Effect Cover” to the end of this year to customers in Hong Kong and Macau. The coverage applies to all government-approved vaccines in Hong Kong and Macau, including the latest vaccines against COVID-19, seasonal influenza and Hepatitis B.  

Two years ago, the company also offered free COVID-19 protection for customers. To attract more customers to join the programme, all AIA individual and group insurance customers can download the company's mobile app "AIA Connect" and register as users to enjoy free extra COVID-19 coverage.

Apart from insurance products, AIA Group also actively tries to have strong brand recall by remaining top of mind in Hong Kong consumers’ minds. It has rolled out several offline events to engage the public. The company is the principal sponsor of the Hong Kong Observation Wheel and the AIA Vitality Park. Both attractions are positioned as destinations to promote healthy living, making the iconic landmark an experience that everyone in Hong Kong can enjoy. The AIA Vitality Park was also created as  an outdoor space for launching events. The latest initiative was "Winter at the Wheel", recreating a Christmas carnival at the heart of Hong Kong. However, due to pandemic-control measures, the event unfortunately had to be suspended.

Previously, Hong Kong’s fitness and wellness festival IRIS also launch a three-day wellness event at the park. With 110 two-person pods available at the venue, the festival aimed to provide a "responsible, unique, and barrier-breaking experience to help Hongkongers refresh, revive, and reconnect." While hosting wellness activities with six different yoga and fitness sessions, the event will also offer live music, food, and drinks between or after exercises. Sessions have been curated to boost resilience for the new normal.

"We believed that marketing is the guardian of the brand and the key driver to engage the audience. We don't want our idea of helping people live healthier, longer, better lives to turn into a slogan only. It is a driving force of our campaigns," he said.

How the pandemic has changed AIA Group's business

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Hong Kong government has closed the city's borders. Previously, insurance companies in Hong Kong relied heavily on customers from China to buy products in their trips to the city.

While the travel restrictions have definitely had an impact on AIA's sales, the company shared that AIA Hong Kong returned to growth increase of 37% -driven by new business performance of the domestic customer segment. In its latest annual results announcement, the company said its agency and bancassurance channels delivered strong performances, underpinned by an improvement in both agency activity and productivity and supported by the launch of its new partnership with BEA in July.

The resumption of Macau’s Individual Visit Scheme with China also drove excellent growth in sales to Chinese visitors through its Macau branch during the year. The company also announced that the value of new business increased by 18% to US$3,366 million in the financial year ended on 31 December 2021. Its annualised new premiums increased by 6% to US$5,647 million.

Looking ahead, the company said it has established an innovative digital Health InsurTech and services business "Amplify Health" in partnership with Discovery. "There are tremendous opportunities for Amplify Health with total healthcare expenditure in our markets expected to exceed US$4 trillion in 2030," said Lee Yuan-siong, AIA Group's chief executive and president.

To maintain the company's status in the insurance industry, Spencer added that four features set AIA Group apart from its competitors. "The quality of advice and the variety of products help us win the hearts of customers but we are doing way more than offering them products, " he said.

"With customers' trust in the brand and our commitment to Hong Kong, we can keep growing the business."

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