Farm workers courtesy of Museums Victoria
Equip Super
Winning hearts and minds
(Brand Strategy, Communications, Copywriting)
In 2020, DIAZ DAVIS was approached by one of Australia's long-established superannuation funds, Equip Super, to develop the brand and communications for their redesigned insurance product.
The product aimed to provide fairer financial protection and a flexible, reliable insurance cover based on life stage, an approach that put the member first.
It would also address the key challenges that were faced by the superannuation industry at the time, including declining public confidence due to 2019’s Royal Commission report and, the recent fears surrounding the bushfires and COVID-19 outbreak.
At the commencement of this project, Equip Super was concerned that the insurance product they were introducing would be perceived by their members as a loss, not a gain.
While many of their members understood the importance of insurance designed for their needs, others perceived it as an unwanted cost. In a year that was filled with challenges – local, national and international – it was our mission to keep Equip Super in both the minds and hearts of its customers.
To provide dependable life stage insurance cover and help rebuild confidence in the superannuation industry, we knew the Equip Super insurance product needed to be trusted and valued. In reality, this meant delivering a strong and consistent identity that served as a platform for the product launch.
Research undertaken by Equip Super revealed that members were sensitive to both change and increasing costs, and there was a real risk of member attrition within their at-risk segment. We understood that the project’s success would be dependent on helping Equip Super retain this member group.
The product aimed to provide fairer financial protection and a flexible, reliable insurance cover based on life stage, an approach that put the member first.
It would also address the key challenges that were faced by the superannuation industry at the time, including declining public confidence due to 2019’s Royal Commission report and, the recent fears surrounding the bushfires and COVID-19 outbreak.
At the commencement of this project, Equip Super was concerned that the insurance product they were introducing would be perceived by their members as a loss, not a gain.
While many of their members understood the importance of insurance designed for their needs, others perceived it as an unwanted cost. In a year that was filled with challenges – local, national and international – it was our mission to keep Equip Super in both the minds and hearts of its customers.
To provide dependable life stage insurance cover and help rebuild confidence in the superannuation industry, we knew the Equip Super insurance product needed to be trusted and valued. In reality, this meant delivering a strong and consistent identity that served as a platform for the product launch.
Research undertaken by Equip Super revealed that members were sensitive to both change and increasing costs, and there was a real risk of member attrition within their at-risk segment. We understood that the project’s success would be dependent on helping Equip Super retain this member group.
By leading Equip Super through our studio’s rigorous brand strategy activities including internal workshops, and member and competitor analysis, we were able to ensure the optimum positioning opportunity for Equip Super.
With this and other critical findings in mind, our team developed a Brand Platform and Messaging Guide that empathetically connected customers’ practical needs to their emotional drivers.
The results
Following the product launch, customer attrition was monitored, and week after week, month after month, Equip Super found that the anticipated potential loss of customers did not materialize.
According to Equip Super’s executive team, the brand platform and resulting engagement strategy not only prevented attrition triggered by this change, but it also reduced the normal customer attrition rate because impacted members felt heard, seen and appreciated.
DIAZ DAVIS’ branding work managed to support our client in better understanding how to best frame change for its members. This framing, ultimately, served as a central nervous system for all engagement messaging.
When we began this project, we’d set out to take Equip Super’s message from ‘potential’ to a lasting impactful connection between their brand and their customer.
We delivered beyond expectation and established from this work, a strong, long-term relationship with a client who cares, values and empowers their customers.
The results
Following the product launch, customer attrition was monitored, and week after week, month after month, Equip Super found that the anticipated potential loss of customers did not materialize.
According to Equip Super’s executive team, the brand platform and resulting engagement strategy not only prevented attrition triggered by this change, but it also reduced the normal customer attrition rate because impacted members felt heard, seen and appreciated.
DIAZ DAVIS’ branding work managed to support our client in better understanding how to best frame change for its members. This framing, ultimately, served as a central nervous system for all engagement messaging.
When we began this project, we’d set out to take Equip Super’s message from ‘potential’ to a lasting impactful connection between their brand and their customer.
We delivered beyond expectation and established from this work, a strong, long-term relationship with a client who cares, values and empowers their customers.
In her words
“I have no doubt the brand platform was the keystone of this project’s success, and without it, we’d have lacked clarity and direction.
Emily Barnes, Head of Insights and Design, Equip Super.
“I have no doubt the brand platform was the keystone of this project’s success, and without it, we’d have lacked clarity and direction.
This work helped our team come together with a shared sense of purpose, and to see the impact and implications of this change through the eyes of the members it was designed to benefit.”
Emily Barnes, Head of Insights and Design, Equip Super.Key outcomes
Collaborators
- Evidence of Equip Super’s ability to retain members through the right messaging and approach
- Alignment of their product communications with Equip Super’s brand promise
- A minimised risk and timely delivery of the product to market
- A strong, resonant and relevant name
- A product with the right set of associations and key messages
- An improved branding capability and skill set.
Collaborators
Marion E Piper, Copywriting, Messaging
Ashley Simonetto, Graphic Design.