Ageas Hong Kong: Your trusted partner

CEO Stuart Fraser reveals how flair for innovation separates them from competitors.

Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Limited provides excellent service by building efficient and interactive relationships with customers and the public via creative marketing.What separates Ageas Hong Kong from competitors is a flair for innovation, which is channelled into meeting the diverse needs of customers, as their trusted lifetime insurance partner.

“The company describes itself as Your Partner in Insurance because we aim to enhance the customer experience every step of the way through life – as a partner of the utmost trustworthiness,” Mr Stuart Fraser, the CEO of the company said.

Meeting the evolving needs of customers
The company develops products by taking a keen interest in what concerns the customers, acting on what they need and building in a flexibility that suits the natural – and often unforeseen – dynamics of everyday life. A customer concerned with maintaining his or her good health, for example, is well served by the All-in-One Critical Illness Protector, which covers 49 major illnesses and 26 less severe critical illnesses. The insurance plan provides up to five claims of “Major Illness Benefits” and a free professional medical second opinion.

Our “Dynasty” RMB Diamond Plan endowment insurance plan is catered for customers who focus on earning. This plan requires a customer to pay premium for only two years and guarantees an average annual return of 3.5% at the end of the fifth policy year.

In addition, the Fortune 100 Insurance Series offers a guaranteed cash endowment every three years starting from the third policy anniversary to satisfy a customer’s financial needs at different stages of life. This is particularly helpful to parents who are concerned about funding their children’s future education. Apart from ensuring a guaranteed cash flow stream to cover such contingencies, Fortune 100 Insurance Series paves the way to a comfortable and carefree retirement. More flexibility is provided by the availability of 5 different payment terms that can be as short as two years.

The company’s prolific style of innovation came to the fore again in early February this year when three new investment-linked assurance schemes (“ILAS”) were unveiled – Cheers Plus, Aviator Plus and Legend. Cheers Plus is a regular-premium ILAS with high life protection, while the other two are single-premium ILAS.

Mr Fraser said, “At Ageas, we believe it is crucially important to design products to suit the needs of customers at different stages of their lifetimes.”

Combining the technological with the traditional
Ageas constantly explores new ways to interact with customers. With this in mind, the company became the first insurer to use QR codes, as well as Augmented Reality (AR) technology to convert static images into interactive videos for advertising. In addition, the company also made use of the Zapper 3D app and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in its advertising campaign.

Our track record for harnessing interactive mobile technologies for brand-building purposes has given rise to award-winning financial planning apps, as well as industry recognition for imaginative use of social media and creating a highly-accessible website.

One of the beauties of the Ageas approach in marketing is combining the technological with the traditional, a prime example of which is in partnering with celebrities to promote the company and highlight the importance of financial planning. The company’s advertising campaign featured Hong Kong celebrities such as Dayo Wong and Dodo Cheng. In fact, standup comedian Dayo Wong has been the spokesperson for Ageas for a number of years, which involved teaming up with Dodo Cheng to “broadcast” financial planning tips.

Mr Fraser said “The campaign involving Dayo Wong and Dodo Cheng was hugely successful, both in terms of marketing and financial results. It projected an image of Ageas Hong Kong as an enterprising player in the insurance industry that delivers financial knowledge and high-quality service to customers.”

Creative marketing wins recognition
The company also takes on title sponsorship of major events such as golf tournaments, concerts and talk shows. One of our highest profile sponsorships for the last six years has been the prestigious Hong Kong PGA Championship. This provides an excellent opportunity to get closer to the city’s affluent community.

No stranger to the showbiz spotlight, Ageas Hong Kong touched many hearts and minds by sponsoring the “Touch Mi Sammi Cheng World Tour 2014”, which blossomed into a glittering partnership with Cantopop diva Sammi Cheng.

“We were delighted to be associated with these performances as title sponsor. I’m sure they will be warmly remembered in an Ageas context for many years to come,” Mr Fraser added.

“We often act as title sponsor for mega events because it deepens our penetration of the high-net-worth market, while promoting the sheer lifetime importance of protection and financial planning.”

Industry recognition of the company’s forward-thinking marketing approach came when Ageas was singled out for “Outstanding New Media Marketing Strategies” and “Outstanding Integrated Marketing Strategies” accolades at the inaugural Hong Kong Insurance Awards 2014, staged by the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers.

Strong sense of corporate citizenship
Ageas Hong Kong operates with a keen sense of corporate social responsibility, especially in terms of employees and the community in which the company does business.

The company believes commercial success is linked directly to sound corporate citizenship, a philosophy rewarded by the “Caring Company Logo”, which has been conferred on Ageas Hong Kong for 13 consecutive years.

Administered by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, this recognition scheme applauds companies that demonstrate a commitment to the community, environment and employees. In fact, the company has been recognised as one of the “Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2015” from HR Asia, the region’s most authoritative publication for senior HR professionals.

Making a practical contribution to helping underprivileged members of the community has seen our employees working with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for the poor in mainland China, and playing an active role in a campus beautification initiative in Hong Kong. A prime example of Ageas enthusiasm to support those less fortunate arose when 88 staff members responded to an Ice Bucket Challenge from the CEO in 2014 to raise funds to help Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) sufferers.

Mr Fraser said “Our belief that commercial success is directly linked to sound corporate citizenship has become a core element of our marketing strategies to develop long-term relationships with customers, many of whom we believe share our concern for needy sections of society.”