Willis embarked on a unique partnership to support a polar explorer to increase brand awareness
Willis Group is a global risk adviser, insurance and reinsurance broker with more than 18,000 staff in 400 offices worldwide. Willis advises on risk management, helping companies become resilient to threats, including external events such as extreme weather. Scientific data and sophisticated analytics are a crucial part of Willis’s risk management solutions.
While enjoying a high profile within the global reinsurance sector, wider public awareness was less significant.
Willis was considering supporting a 19 year-old polar explorer on a climate change research expedition to the Antarctic. Willis chose to work with Captive Minds on this project because the agency had proven technological and logistical experience for high risk expeditions and a track record in creating and deploying ‘big content’ for brand marketing purposes.
Objectives
The Willis Resilience Expedition (WRE) was born, with two clear aims: a significant climate change research project and a world speed record attempt. Involving genuine risk, the expedition would inspire clients and Willis associates, becoming the focus of a global marketing and PR campaign.
Led by inspirational explorer Parker Liautaud, WRE set out to:
• Help understand our changing world – via a 1800km crossing of Antarctica gathering hundreds of ice samples from untouched parts of the polar plateau.
• Highlight the resilience of the human spirit – by setting a new coast-to-pole speed record on foot from the Ross Ice Shelf to the South Pole (560km).
Willis also took the bold decision to send an employee on the expedition, a move carrying significant reputational risk – demanding that Willis’ risk management capabilities be put to the test in one of the world’s most extreme environments.
Expedition activity
The team built a six-wheeled, custom-made truck for logistical support during the scientific phase of the expedition and as a communications centre during the unsupported race phase. The challenges of broadcasting from the Antarctic were enormous, but the ‘Icebroker’ (affectionately dubbed by Willis employees) relayed live content on an unprecedented scale courtesy of pioneering satellite-linked equipment.
A distinctive WRE brand was created and prior to the expedition, high-profile events engaged staff, clients and the media. Clients and staff joined Parker on a training trip to Iceland, experiencing overnight camping in polar conditions. On London’s Embankment, Willis invited journalists to experience -25°c conditions in a cold chamber with Parker.
A mobile-optimised, social-friendly WRE website was launched, featuring real-time metrics from the expedition team.
A dedicated TV show broadcast daily on the expedition’s own online TV channel (WRTV), from a studio built in the lobby of Willis’ London-based headquarters. Content that arrived overnight was edited to produce a morning show reaching tens of thousands. Sixteen hour-long programmes were presented by former ITV1 Daybreak’s Dan Lobb. Featuring live discussions with industry experts and Willis clients, the show explored a range of business-critical environmental issues.
Social media channels engaged key audiences. A corporate magazine was published and content syndicated through Willis’ social media. WRE was also supported by online advertising. Media outreach was global. Live TV and radio interviews were broadcast from Antarctica. When Parker broke the record, celebratory print ads ran in opinion-forming titles such as the FT and Wall Street Journal.
Results
Willis saw commercial payback as new business enquiries increased. The campaign received exceptional media coverage: live South Pole coverage on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America,’ the BBC, Sky News, CNN and ITV. There were 1858 articles published with a reach of 665 million people.
It also received high engagement on social media. On Facebook there were 8113 stories/posts, 152,690 click-throughs, with a reach of 446,459. On YouTube there were 72,378 views from 246 videos, generating 1,695,473 impressions.
Commenting on the campaign, Nathan Hambrook-Skinner, director of communications at Willis in the UK, said: “Engaging with a wide range of external subject matter experts on issues such as climate change and natural disasters really helped reinforce Willis’ credibility as a global risk management expert.”
