Instinctif Partners submission for: The PRISM Award for ... · Statement of opportunity Word count:...

Instinctif Partners submission for:

The PRISM Award for Corporate Communication

2 February 2018

Total Word Count: 1197/ 1200

Statement of opportunity

Word count: 94/100 - Instinctif Partners submission for: The Prism Award for Corporate Communication

In 2017, South Africa was mired in ongoing economic and political uncertainty and news of the exit of global businesses (e.g.General Motors) was causing major concern. Established global insurer, Zurich, was also amongst those who decided to withdraw from the country, sold its South Africa and Botswana assets to Fairfax Financial Holdings – a relatively unknown entity locally.Instinctif Partners Africa (Instinctif) was appointed to manage perceptions around the divestment (in a climate of negative sentiment) and change in ownership, securing reputational resilience as the organisation transitioned into a new brand, called Bryte Insurance.

Research ConductedDriving understanding and adoption was vital to the success of this immense transition and gauging stakeholder perceptions a critical starting point, especially as Zurich worked on an intermediated model with brokers being representatives for the brand when engaging customers. Instinctif:• Monitored sentiment around the exit of global brands• Analysed feedback from internal and external stakeholder engagement sessions on existing brand perceptions and elements that

engendered trust/ goodwill• Initiated a strategy workshop with the Executive team to interrogate positioning, understand the shifting market dynamics and

reach consensus on what was important/ concerning to stakeholders

This was imperative in helping shape the messaging for the new brand to:

Drawing from these insights, Instinctif embarked on a robust communications campaign aimed at government, regulators, industry associations, brokers, partners, customers, employees and media - pre-empting their concerns/ questions, allaying doubts and initiating a new narrative around the business – to engender trust, make the business relatable and drive stakeholder adoption.

Word count: 194/ 200 - Instinctif Partners submission for: The Prism Award for Corporate Communication

Identify challenges/ sensitivities that would need to

be addressed

Determine the key strengths that could be leveraged

Define which elements could differentiate the new business in South Africa and Botswana

to help establish the new brand and create relevance

Planning the campaign

Instinctif Partners submission for: The Prism Award for Corporate Communication

As only a small group was privy to the new brand name and elements, maintaining discretion was critical. Using the nickname - Project Radiant – in all documents and discussions helped maintain confidentiality. Understanding the rare privilege of reimagining a brand for the first time in its more than 150-year history, Instinctif’s role was vital in considering the unique, local environments in which the business operates. Messaging reflected the business’ strong heritage, addressed local dynamics and created a transferable, relatable brand story that would transcend the African geography, linking seamlessly to Bryte’s value proposition aspirations.


Objectives entailed:• Reiterating the rationale for Zurich’s withdrawal to address any nervousness, clarify next steps and maintain

stakeholder confidence • Positioning the benefits of a “local” brand and new shareholder, providing continued assurance of the

opportunities presented and maintaining stakeholder support• Pre-empting potential issues across stakeholder groups and ensuring appropriate responses in managing:

o Perceptions around the loss of heritage - Zurich had entrenched itself in South Africa and Botswana, built credibility and trust

o Perceptions around a lack of access to global insights and expertise as well as sound financial backing o Communications to effectively respond to potential loss of business through client and partner

departures• Secure support from broker partners in a highly competitive market at a time when industry peers actively

attempted to solicit brokers

The plan made recommendations for:• Continued transparent engagement with stakeholders. Formats were tailored to each stakeholder, ranging

from hand-delivered letters to Ministries to a simultaneous teleconference announcement to every employee across every location in South Africa and Botswana)

• Creating a deep understanding of the transition and its impact • Proactively addressing anticipated stakeholder concerns and providing assurance at every step• Articulating the new brand’s vision using relatable language and positioning its stakeholder value proposition • Establishing a relationship of trust• Mapping out post launch communications to ensure consistent, regular profiling aimed at entrenching Bryte in

the hearts and minds of its stakeholders• Creating thought leadership platforms such as bespoke industry indices to drive value-add and awareness of

the brand, retained expertise and continued access to global insights• Proactively and regularly responding to and acknowledging concerns and queries


Using a tailored approach, Instinctif mapped out audience-appropriate channels, e.g. a hand-delivered letter to the Minister of Trade and Industry. Multiple stakeholder touchpoints were suggested, driving two-way communication rather than “broadcasting” to stakeholders. Some formats included:• Face-to-face engagements• Tailored emails/ letters • Q&A documents• Launch events for employees, brokers, key customers• Conferences (web/ tele) across multiple sites in South Africa and Botswana • Media announcements/ interviews• Bryte websites and social media

Annual budget:Internal Comms, Broker Comms, Digital – R2.3 millionMedia Relations – R1.2 million

Launching Bryte

Launching

Execution


The approach referenced above was put into motion, with carefully mapped out timelines, several months prior to the official launch of Bryte in South Africa and Botswana. This continued post launch. Working closely with Bryte and its other partners to ensure alignment on messaging, activities and timelines, Instinctif was responsible for:

• A comprehensive leak strategy to manage potential pre-launch brand exposure

• Crafting Bryte’s internal and external communications strategy (brand positioning,

messaging architecture, key themes, key

messages, proof points, audience segmentation,

spokesperson guidance on stakeholder

engagement, detailed view of appropriate

engagement vehicles); social media strategy • A comprehensive Q&A manual with scenarios and

appropriate responses to ensure effective management of stakeholder queries, minimising speculation

• Policies for media engagement and social media interaction

• Pre-launch teaser collateral (nuanced around the new brand name and elements) for various stakeholder groups

• Stakeholder engagement training for all executives, ensuring everyone was ideally equipped to confidently engage stakeholders on launch day

• Pre-launch briefing documents for all executives


Activity and Timelines

Social media strategy


SA and Botswana

websites

Stakeholder letters

• Content for new Bryte websites • Set up of Twitter and LinkedIn in preparation for launch day • Drafting and dissemination of stakeholder letters to government, regulators,

industry associations, brokers, partners, customers• A series of employee emailers with relevant updates and Q&A documents for

customer-facing employees and call centre teams• Media announcement, supporting content, invites to launch events and

interview motivations (post launch and for roadshows across South Africa the week after the launch)

• CEO launch day speech and delivery training • Ongoing, monitoring of media/ influencer sentiment around the transition

and post launch• Attendance at launch events in South Africa and Botswana and facilitation of

media interviews on the ground

http://bryte.co.bw

http://brytesa.com/

Draft intranet design

• Drafting an internal and external communications plan (adapted post launch)o Employees - Brand awareness campaigns

comprising monthly values competitions, translating to annual awards; refreshed intranet; app content; newsletters

o Launch of Bryte-owned indices (Bryte Crime Tracker and Bryte Construction Activity Monitor) to drive distinctive thought leadership content

o Opinion pieces, participation at industry events, social media content etc.

o Quarterly broker newsletters


Employee AwardsBroker newsletter

Indices


Evaluation

A multi-faceted approach ensured every stakeholder felt respected, valued and involved through the process. Activities implemented helped transition from the perception of a “traditional insurer” to a proactive, business risk specialist - demonstrating Bryte’s progressive, agile business model. This positioning set the business apart in a tangible manner (in a sector that does not respond well to change), driving relatability and brand adoption.


• Fairfax acknowledged this as the smoothest transition they had ever participated in

• Employees are highly motivated, engaged and proud – 93.27% indicated they are “Bryte Fans”

• Gained 206 Twitter (organically) and 5,467 LinkedIn followers, securing regular engagement – 200% and 5,400% growth, respectively

• Maintained stakeholder confidence - Bryte did not lose a single partnership/ customer (its proudest achievement) - and continues to receive positive stakeholder feedback

Twitter: 200% Growth LinkedIn: 5,400% Growth


AVE value: R 4 million+

Media clippings:130 +

Audience reach:15 million+

• Since launch, Bryte achieved:

Instinctif Partners submission for: The PRISM Award for ... · Statement of opportunity Word count:...

Documents

Transcript of Instinctif Partners submission for: The PRISM Award for ... · Statement of opportunity Word count:...