In 2018 the insurance industry found itself at an inflection point. The company knew that even its storied history and current market share wouldn’t be enough to guarantee or sustain its future success. In order to stay relevant in the Age of Disruption, the global insurer had to find a way to connect to its changing and increasingly demanding consumer base. But how could the insurance giant evolve alongside sweeping market changes, while at the same time reassure customers of its stability and trustworthiness? How could it effectively navigate the Age of Disruption while also satisfying customers who were looking for more meaningful connections from their insurers?

The company needed a new way to connect its internal and external transformations in a way that felt modern, forward-looking, and customer-centric.

The company sought to develop a creative strategy and campaign that could engage consumers in an authentic conversation about progress, one that felt both aspirational and inspirational. In 2018, the company launched its Global Explorer Program with the campaign mission #ExploreWithUs.

The Global Explorer Program positioned the company as both a champion of and partner to the technologies and innovations that continue to shape the changing world. As part of its mission, the Global Explorer program promotes and investigates new ways of moving, living and working by: “calling on curious and courageous minds around the globe to imagine, connect and share how disruptive, innovative and developing technologies can help us create a more sustainable future for our planet.”

The Global Explorer Program includes a micro-conference series, partnerships focusing on the future of mobility, sponsorship of emerging, high-profile sporting events, and user-generated #ExploreWithUs video challenges.

The company saw an opportunity to celebrate its roots and the very beginnings of insurance as an industry. Maritime insurance was invented during the 14th century as a way for sea explorers to mitigate risk. The company came into being at the cusp of the 20th century and during the Industrial Revolution, just as the first automobiles were being manufactured, necessitating the creation of an entirely new class of insurance for what was then an untested technology with an uncertain future.

In its origin story and through its research, the company’s strategists and creatives saw the larger brand story: from its inception the company has embraced the pioneer, the inventor, the change maker. The company has a history of supporting and encouraging global disruptors, enabling innovators, and assuring its customers on their journey through life. The team now had the insight it needed and “Explore With Us” was born.

The company sought to develop a creative strategy that could engage consumers in an authentic conversation about progress and the future of living, one that felt aspirational and inspirational. The Global Explorer Program includes a micro-conference series, partnerships focusing on the future of mobility, sponsorship of emerging, high-profile sporting events, and user-generated video challenges.

The focus on user-generated video content meant the company went from releasing 4 major pieces of content per year to releasing 2 - 3 content elements per week. Topics included everything from the future of mobility to hacking your morning commute, and all tied back to the theme #ExploreWithUs.

Video content was widely promoted on the company’s social channels, while content creators were further incentivized to publish submissions on their own pages. The company also created a tiered cash rewards system for its content creators and built up a community of loyal participants, currently 5,5k strong.

The Global Explorer Program helped position the company as a key player and innovative partner in the area of future mobility systems for business, consumer and government players. As of April, 2019:

o A new business model around mobility was created in Marrakesh with potential 100,000 combustion vehicles to be replaced over 5 years. First 1,500 green vehicles already shipped

o 6 leadership micro-conferences held in 6 of cities

o 3,630 content creators recruited (2018)

o Creators respond to weekly challenges with user-generated video explorer stories

o Content reach in 2018 was 101 Million Social Media views globally and totalling 6.8 Mio. minutes of explorer content viewed

o 14% engagement rate on social media content

o 22863 kids applied for Explorer Camps, coming from 23 countries around the globe

o 53 kids co-created with the company, Oliver Kahn and an Astronaut their view on their own future