Allianz Australia’s new brand platform, ‘Care You Can Count On,’ launched back in May via Howatson+Company, featuring distinct visuals brought to life with CGI.
It marked a new direction for the insurance brand following CMO and general manager of customer strategy and marketing, Laura Halbert, joining just over a year ago, taking over the helm from Renee Davidson. Halbert’s vision under the new platform is to hone in on the concept of care, what she calls “our brand truth”.
The TVC, directed by Finch’s Michael Gracey, follows a mother finch on a quest to protect her egg. Just as you think the finch can’t go on any longer, a soaring eagle glides in to support it, guiding her to her new home safely.
It brings to life the ethos of care, symbolising the need for support during unexpected challenges. The campaign won a spot as Aussies’ favourite ad in the June 2025 edition of TRA’s bi-annual representative study.
B&T: What is your vision for the brand since joining 18 months ago, particularly with the new platform? Can you elaborate on the research that was conducted to bring the ‘Care You Can Count On’ platform to life?
Laura Halbert: First, we unpacked all the brand data. It was clear we had a strong brand with good awareness and consideration. However, we lacked differentiation and distinction, particularly in first-choice preference. The mission was clear: Why Allianz?
Next, we delved into our existing customer research and data to deeply understand the drivers of choice, NPS, reputation, and customer satisfaction. Brand statements like “a company that cares” consistently scored at the top.
We then engaged with our people—frontline call centre teams, account managers, underwriters, claims professionals, actuaries, executives, the Board, and international colleagues. Regardless of the perspective, the theme of care emerged prominently. Experiencing it across every corner of the company was truly inspiring. Our cyber teams embodied it, it poured out of our people and culture teams, and our frontline teams embraced it as the only option. Personally, it was when some of our most technical commercial risk engineers, who help insure some of the world’s most prized landmarks, spoke about care with passion that I knew we were onto something. We found our brand truth. And when we took it for approval, there was no challenge; it was us.
The real test was whether customers truly valued our care. And we found they did care a lot about care. Our customers told us that during the insurance journey, which can often feel uncertain, they want to feel cared for, valued, and reassured. They seek peace of mind, knowing that when the unexpected happens, we will be there to provide clarity and confidence every step of the way. While this insight is not necessarily new, care is undoubtedly the antidote to uncertainty. To achieve our ambitious goals, we must address this category challenge.
Now, when we talk to customers about our new propositions and the way we serve, we ask them to help design it with us. If this were an insurance company that cares, what would they design, and how would they serve you?
Our promise, ‘Care You Can Count On,’ is to deliver exactly that. Care is a clear behavioural code for how we show up every day, and we are embedding this customer-focused mindset in everything we do—from the top down—to ensure every member of our team lives and breathes this promise. It is our unwavering commitment to providing Australians with the clarity, confidence, and care they deserve.
B&T: How does the campaign highlight this theme?
LH: The ‘Care You Can Count On’ platform is much more than a campaign; it’s a principle that guides our actions as a business and as a team, and is highlighted through tangible initiatives designed to support our customers and the broader community.
An example is our recently launched Allianz prevention initiative. This program was designed after gaining insights from customers about how important proactive home care is to them. It aims to provide homeowners with the knowledge and tools they need to take important steps in maintaining and protecting their homes. This is a clear demonstration of care in action—helping customers safeguard their most important assets before the unexpected happens. And there is more to come here.
Another key example is the mental health thought leadership we have championed in the market over the last five years. With the number of active Allianz Workers Compensation Primary Psychological claims having increased by 47.5 per cent over that period, we saw a critical need. Our work is aimed at helping prevent mental health injuries in Australian workplaces, showing that our commitment to care extends to the wellbeing of workers and the health of the businesses we support.
Both initiatives show how we are embedding our promise into everything we do, providing meaningful support that demonstrates care you can truly count on.
B&T: How is care embedded as a mindset across the entire business and the brand image/narrative?
LH: Embedding care as a mindset isn’t a new concept for us, but rather the elevation of an authentic culture of care that our research confirmed is at our core.
Internally, care is a clear behavioural code for how we show up every day. We are embedding this customer-obsessed mindset from the top down, rolled out via a dedicated playbook to ensure every single member of the Allianz family lives and breathes this brand promise. By being customer-obsessed, we can deeply understand what our customers need and design innovative, tailored solutions that deliver the experience of care across their entire journey with us.
While we have always prioritised our customers’ needs, we are now being more vocal about this as our public promise externally. This narrative is expressed not only through our advertising but also through how we engage with the community. Our partnerships with organisations like the Olympic and Paralympic Movements are an extension of this commitment, reflecting our role in bringing communities together and supporting Australian goals.
Ultimately, we are ensuring that care is not just a part of our brand image but the central guiding principle that is authentically reflected in every customer interaction, every initiative, and every employee action.
B&T: What was it like working with Howatson + Co and ALT VFX, and what was the idea behind the CGI animation for the video?
LH: It was a truly collaborative process working with our partners at Howatson+Co, who brought on the exceptional cinematic vision of director Michael Gracey. Fresh from his Oscar-nominated biopic Better Man, it was incredible to watch Michael apply his storytelling expertise to transform an insurance message into an emotionally captivating narrative. We knew he was the right choice, and when we learned he’d started his career as an animator and VFX artist, we had total confidence in his ability to craft the dramatic story of the finch and eagle as a visual spectacle Australia would truly connect with.
The idea behind the animation is a metaphor for the storms and uncertainties we all face in life. It perfectly symbolises the need for protection during unexpected challenges. The finch represents the customer, while the confident and protective eagle visually represents how Allianz steps in with care during those uncertain times.
To bring this to life, we leveraged world-class CGI from the award-winning team at Alt.VFX. While the scenery was all shot in Australia, the production required sophisticated animation to create the realistic bird characters and the dramatic stormy environment. The visual effects team expertly crafted every detail, from the fluid flight movements to the seamless integration of the animation with live-action footage.
The first job of marketing is attention, the second job is making people feel, the third job is to brand it, and the fourth job is consistency.
It’s been incredible to see the response from the ad in the first few months in market. We’ve had an overwhelming response, receiving thousands of messages on social media and getting letters in the mail – it goes to show the message is resonating with our audience.
Having ‘Care You Can Count On’ named as Australia’s favourite ad in June by the Research Agency confirmed we’re moving in the right direction. During recent ad recall testing, awareness was up by 15 points and branding by 16 points, against multi-category norms and we’re confident this will only increase.
B&T: How has this brand platform come to life?
LH: ‘Care You Can Count On’ is being brought to life through a major integrated brand campaign.
Our central story, featuring the finch and the eagle, is being shared across TV, cinema, YouTube, outdoor media, digital platforms, social media, and of course, Allianz stadium. This omnichannel rollout ensures the narrative’s emotional impact reaches Australians across multiple touchpoints.
Our prevention initiative, which provides homeowners with the tools and knowledge for proactive home maintenance, is a perfect example of how we will continue to deliver care by helping customers protect their assets before a claim is ever needed.
At Allianz, our new brand promise, ‘Care You Can Count On,’ is a bold declaration of how we show up for our customers – not just when incidents happen, but at every stage of their journey with us.
Having a throughline of care in every step of the brand’s journey is Halbert’s laser-sharp focus on consistency and transparency. While care as a concept makes perfect sense for an insurance brand, others must find their own North Star, their “brand truth”.
