Sweet Deal From Sunlife

Earlier this month, Sun Life Financial Asia announced a diabetes awareness study which covered the markets like Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, revealing the public’s lack of basic understanding of diabetes, people have strong associations with unfavorable characteristics, such as dangerous driving (37%), laziness (38%), lack of energy (62%), not being athletic (43%) and having mood swings (43%). Such stigma also exists in Hong Kong, where over half (51%) of respondents think diabetics are not energetic.

Sun Life Financial Asia’s CMO Jeremy Young said the firm always has a strong focus both globally and regionally in Asia on diabetes, which is a growing health risk that it first started to bring attention to as far back as 1925. “With this study, we want to educate the community about this disease and drive positive change on common misconceptions and attitudes towards those living with diabetes.”

Young explained “diabetes is less of a campaign and more of a focus – we have to help the communities we live and work in.”

He said Sun Life believes that prevention is better than cure and awareness is the first step towards prevention. By educating and raising awareness about this chronic disease, he hopes that people are able to live a healthier lifestyles by taking charge of their lives and schedules and by paying more attention to personal well-being.

“In Hong Kong, we have a programme with special life insurance rates for diabetics who undertake regular management in order to encourage them to take control of their condition. A true long-term goal and aspiration is to see a reduction in the rate of people diagnosed with diabetes.”

This is beyond our brand logo, and needs to be our brand experience.

For example, he said the firm has been helping Filipinos become more financially aware through its financial literacy programme since 2009, which has adapted with time and evolution and is going from strength to strength.

Going forward, Young said being consistent is important when it comes to marketing.

“To have a consistent message and position about who we are and what we provide that resonates with our clients across the various platforms that they use (linking the messages, and speaking their language). This seems simple, yet with so many exciting messages to share and mediums with which to connect to our clients, you can very easily confuse people and end up having no message at all.”

As 2018 is around the corner, he said some marketing and brand campaigns are in the pipeline, people will see themes across Asia starting with Sun Life Financial Asia Resolution Run in January and February.

Following that, a number of planned events and activities across the region that will build awareness of who it is and what it stands for, raising its profile. “Our annual title sponsorship of the Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships in Hong Kong will definitely be part of it.”