Great Eastern refreshes brand, takes inspiration from first logo

Great Eastern has refreshed its brand positioning following research involving more than 2,000 consumers across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia over the last two years. Its new tagline "Reach for Great" underpins Great Eastern's ongoing journey of enhancing customer centricity which has been supported by strategic investments in digital transformation efforts.

To signal this new brand positioning to customers, the insurer collaborated with Superunion to develop a new visual identity with a distinctive new headline typeface, colour strategy and illustration style added to its brand palette. Taking reference from Great Eastern’s first brand logo in the 1900s, the new visuals sport a heritage crest to reflect its establishment as an inspiring and trusted insurance brand in the region.

According to Great Eastern, the new branding will be visible in all marketing material, which will be rolled out regionally across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in the next few months. Colin Chan, MD, group marketing, explained that findings from its research pointed towards the enablement of goals with consumers expressing the desire for us to help them in the pursuit of their financial goals and aspirations.

"This heightened consciousness about the need for financial wellness has been further accelerated as we move out of COVID-19 into a more endemic state of pandemic living," he added. Among the key insights that surfaced from the research was a fresh wave of optimism from consumers emerging from the pandemic, valuing an insurance partner that truly understands their needs and ambitions, who is able to provide tailored advisory and solutions to enable their financial aspirations.

As with all major rollouts, the brand refresh will be carried through in phases. Digital assets first, and then offline materials, which will be progressively refreshed. Great Eastern told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that its marketing efforts will be strongly aligned to support its new brand promise, which seeks to demonstrate its purpose, while listening closely to its customers’ needs.

To raise awareness about the new tagline, Great Eastern has unveiled a new campaign and brand film featuring consumer profiles across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia going about their unique pursuit of their own Greatness.

The real-life stories across the region captures the vast diversity of consumer’s goals and ambitions and shows how Great Eastern is able to help them Reach for Great through its combination of heritage, expertise and inspiration, as the brand that believes in empowering everyone to achieve their aspirations no matter how big or small.

The campaign will run on free-to-air TV, digital and social media, website, and OOH advertising across the key markets. Great Eastern will also be rolling out a slew of product initiatives, rewards, and promotions from September onwards.

Chan said that the refresh elevates Great Eastern's continuing and unique value proposition as a composite insurer to empower everyone to Reach for Great regardless of their aspirations, life stage or socio-economic status.

"We believe that Great is for everyone, and that Greatness comes in many forms. Through the authentic stories of the people filmed in our brand film, we are that insurer of choice that will be there for life, to enable our customers to achieve their goals and #ReachforGreat," he added.

The brand is currently working with BLKJ Havas for integrated marketing duties. The agency was reappointed last year following a pitch covering creative, social and performance marketing. The appointment includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Media amplification and channel planning were undertaken by MediaCom.

Great Eastern has been continuously reinventing itself as a progressive and digitally-forward insurer. Consumers now have convenient access to insurance solutions on its digital platforms, and at the same time have professional financial advice delivered remotely through virtual channels.

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it rallied its customers to live Lifeproof, encouraging them to be resilient and optimistic in the face of adversity. At the same time, the insurer is also constantly evolving its insurance solutions to close gaps in critical illness, health, and disability protection, and enriching relevant propositions such as retirement and savings solutions to cater to customers' wealth accumulation needs in the current economic climate.

Aside from evolving its offerings, the insurer is also doubling down on its sustainability efforts. Last December, for example, it donated more than SG$448,000 to support Garden City Fund and Zero Waste SG's Sustainable Schools Programme. It has also deepened its commitment towards being a sustainability-driven company in the financial services sector with the launch of the first green life insurance product in Singapore last November – GREAT Green SP.

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