CorpComms Magazine

(1) Know where you're starting from

You need to understand where your customer is at - how they perceive you - and then plan from that point. Based on that, plan your time accordingly. For Aviva, that meant a sustained programme of communication with our customers; an overnight change wouldn't have worked for us. We learned that people thought that Norwich Union was trustworthy and dependable, but it was not perceived as a modern business. We found that people aged 35 plus were familiar with the business, but that young people had the view It's not for me. We kept the bits that worked, but had to introduce a modern aspect to the brand.

(2) Listen, listen, listen

Build a detailed picture of what's important to your customers and use it to inform your brand. We found that customers were not as worried as we had expected about losing the 'Britishness' of the brand - that 'flying the flag' was less important to them - because they understood the international strategy. Independent research told us that customers wanted to be recognised as individuals. Insurance companies can be perceived as dry and staid, but the moments when customers need us are often emotionally highly charged. We identified that success depended on delivering both humanity and expertise. We defined this as 'recognition', articulated internally through the promise 'no one recognises you like Aviva'.

(3) Have the courage of your convictions and stay resolute

Build a strategy that is future-proof and then deliver it properly or not at all. You cannot do things half-cocked. It is therefore vital that you get buy in from the top of the business from the very beginning of the process. There may be tough decisions to make, but if these are strategically right for the business then embrace them. You may be criticised at the outset and you can expect some awful PR, but you need to hold firm and keep going. In the end, the majority of our media coverage was favourable.

(4) Engage your people

We have 30,000 staff in the UK alone and it was absolutely critical to engage them at every stage. We had cinema events and workshops for our staff where senior managers would explain the brand positioning and why we were rebranding and why it mattered. Senior executives brought the brand promise to life using stories about what recognition meant to them. Sessions were highly interactive, and employees also shared their own stories. To mark the name change in the UK, we organised a 24 hour online forum involving discussions with employees across the globe.

(5) A change of name isn't just a change of name

Make sure it's not just a cosmetic change - we took the opportunity to launch a new brand promise globally - a real step change for the business. A brand is as a brand does, and we wanted Aviva to really stand for something. Our television advertisements, featuring famous people who had all changed their names, showed how this helped them achieve a change in fame and fortune.

(6) Be bold

You wouldn't necessarily expect to see an insurance advertisement feature the likes of model Elle Macpherson or Hollywood actor Bruce Willis, but it really helped us achieve cut-through and raised awareness levels quickly so we spent less on media. Be bold and impactful.

(7) It's not just about winning over your customers

Alongside our customer communications, we needed to make sure we convinced key stakeholders such as media and investors that this was the right move for the company. Explaining the rationale to City/corporate/marketing media was key. The Norwich community was also very important. We showed our commitment to the city (where we are a major employer with 6,700 staff) through our three-year sponsorship deal with Norwich City Football Club and frequent engagement with local stakeholders, such as local MPs and the Cathedral. In fact, the Norwich City team were the first to show the new brand when they went out with Aviva on their shirts. It is not just about sponsorship; it is about supporting the local community.

(8) Measure success

It's a big investment so you need to know it's working. While you need to be firm in your intentions, you also need to be tactically flexible - measurement allows you to make adjustments as you go.  We temperature checked our customers frequently through customer councils (focus groups).

(9) Have a clear operating model

Make sure at the outset you have the nuts and bolts in place to make it happen. A rebranding is a huge logistical undertaking and you need the right project managers in place, your budgets laid out and your systems organised. Establish a firm deadline for when you want the rebranding to go live (and the requisite systems to work), then work backwards from that. We resisted the temptation to rush the name change, instead conducting a sustained, integrated campaign of communication which engaged all stakeholders over a period of months before the actual change on 1 June.

(10) Aim high

Our rebrand has been a huge catalyst for change within the company - we had to start out with a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve in order to make that happen. Even before the rebrand formally launched, we had quadrupled awareness and tripled the number of customers who would consider Aviva in the future.

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