"SBI General Insurance’s brand refresh reflects the digital spirit & youth focus"

A corporate identity is the face of an organisation and it means a lot to an organisation as they continuously engage with their audience. Usually the change of identity happens when there is a new collaboration or change in core values or vision of the company as they embark on a new journey or mission. The primary purpose of a corporate identity is to create an image and distinct identity, which will influence the key stakeholders and shape a positive opinion. SBI General Insurance has had quite a successful journey in the last decade and achieved several important milestones. These milestones and achievements have given more power to the general insurance business to surge ahead and present a more dynamic and futuristic looking company to their audiences and business partners.

Also Read: SBI General Insurance appoints PC Kandpal as MD and CEO

Now, as part of an overall marketing and communication strategy, the company felt a need to change their corporate identity for general insurance and bring in the trust and security elements to their several loyal customers. Along with the new identity, the company also launched a tagline – ‘Suraksha aur Bharosa, Dono’.

To understand more about the new corporate identity and the refreshed vision of the company, Adgully spoke to Shefali Khalsa, Head – Brand and Corporate Communications, SBI General Insurance.

SBI General Insurance has been in existence for quite some time. Why did the need for a change in identity arise after such a long time? What was the objective and purpose behind this revamp?

We’ve had a great journey in the last decade, achieving various meaningful milestones. These achievements have given us the power to surge ahead, better ourselves, and look beyond. In today’s age, the world is changing fast, and so are the customer segments, behaviour, and requirements, which make it necessary to evolve and adapt quickly.

In hindsight, if we look at the insurance industry, it has traditionally been slow to modernise and is mostly a relationship-based, face-to-face interaction-oriented business. The current scenario shifted the focus on trying to capitalise that personal equity, digitally. As a company, we are quite prepared for the situation with our robust BCP in place.

After achieving so many milestones, we can proudly say that with new-age processes and services, we are ready to serve the growing needs of an evolving consumer, consisting of traditionalists and modernists alike. That is precisely the story of our new logo.

The insurance category in India is riddled with fear and insecurity. To address this and to live up to our brand belief that resonates with “trust”, we have derived the tagline – ‘Suraksha aur Bharosa, Dono’, which in English means Security and Trust, both.

The brand identity is the face of any corporate brand. How do you plan to translate the new ethos attached to the new brand identity to your end customers? 

I think it is the other way around; we have been at the forefront of going digital, having focussed processes, and being future-ready. This was a result of our customer-centric approach and the digitally savvy vision. The new identity underlines that and is a reminder that we continue to be true to the values that we serve our customers with. The new logo with swipe button design, cues the digitised and future-ready service approach.

Overall identity marks SBIG’s 2.0 Version, a new milestone after a decade long journey. Appeals to masses and reinforces trust and security in the Company. The new brand logo and tagline are not just a change in its external identity, but it reflective of its approach, belief and way of working, that will redefine SBI General Insurance as a new-age and future-ready brand.

Here is what the new identity means to us – Progressive, Inclusive, Energised, Future-ready, Transparent, Empathetic, Agile, Dedicated & Customer-Centric

With our new logo, we reinstate and reassure our customers that we are ready to serve their growing needs with new-age processes and services while retaining their ‘Trust’. 

Can you please tell us more about the core idea and thinking on the design about this new identity? How is it different from the earlier identity? What was the process followed in developing this new identity? 

Through the new identity, we aim to stand out from category clutter. We wanted to resonate with the evolved & digital spirit of SBI General Insurance while retaining the values and identity of the parent brand. We also wanted to convey to the newer generation the usefulness and youthfulness of SBI General Insurance.

So, in the new logo, we have retained the parent brand SBI, which reinforces trust and security. Inspired by the SBI Yono, we have taken the purple color, which denotes youthfulness, wisdom, and devotion. For the font, we have ‘general’ in lowercase to represent uniformity, we have used a curvier typeface to show agility. The entire logo represents swipeable buttons to cue the digital age. It reflects SBI General’s future-readiness through the usage of a gradient.

As for the tagline, to understand the challenges that the general insurance category faces, we had connected with our employees and arrived at an insight indicating two significant issues confronting our customers i.e., fear and insecurity. Also, we have observed that people do not approach the insurance category in India with a lot of trust. So, we conducted a survey internally and concluded that the two words 'Suraksha' (protection) and 'bharosa' (trust) should be communicated to the public to address these fears.

By creating this new identity how is SBI General insurance going to benefit? Will you be seeing some business growth post the unveiling of the new identity?

Through the new identity, we will continue to serve traditional and modern customers’ needs alike. We will also fulfil the needs of the evolving customer with the help of new-age processes and services.

The new brand identity not only has an impact on the external world, but also on the internal approach. We took this bold decision to revamp the brand in the current scenario, with the belief that this will bring a new and fresh wave for each employee and a spike in our visibility amongst our stakeholders. We have woven digitisation in all possible areas, enabling transparent and smooth transactions.

The overall insurance market is already crowded both on the Life and General Insurance front. How will this new brand identity help you break the clutter and stand out top of mind?

India is one of the top countries in the world when it comes to mobile penetration. With low cost handsets available, most of the population knows and understands certain symbols. Thus, 'swipe' logo is easily recognisable. The tagline has been created keeping in mind our customers all over the country. The language is simple and yet something that people can relate to. Additionally, the unmatched reach of our parent brand SBI will help us take this new identity to every corner of the country. These aspects will help us break the clutter. Apart from this, we continue the privilege to carry the SBI emblem in the logo, being a subsidiary of SBI. This emblem is certainly a clutter breaker in the crowd.

The new brand identity execution is an uphill task. How will you ensure that this is carried and extended to all collaterals? Most importantly, maintaining consistency especially getting the right colours in the smaller towns. Will there be a brand manual created to achieve and maintain consistency?

We are very proud of our reach to every nook and corner of the country. With the new logo launch, it will require changing the last mile of the logo presence and will be done with extra finesse. We have ensured a rigorous communication cascading to every employee, channel partner, and customers. Considering the lockdown situation, we have concentrated the launch through digital platforms, at large. 

What is the plan for promoting the new identity to all your stakeholders? Any campaign has been designed to communicate about your new brand identity? When will the entire country get closely connected with the new identity?

The entire plan was focused on four buckets, starting the launch with employees, customers, stakeholders, and the external world. An exhaustive plan is in place, right from launch to sustenance. However, considering the sensitive situation, we have gone ahead and focussed more on the digital launch. A robust plan is in the pipeline for the coming quarters.