Elevating a truly people-first insurance brand.
How do you rebrand a global Fortune 500 specialty insurance company that no one has ever heard of? You start by recognizing the past, while reaching toward the future.
Markel had never undergone a global brand refresh in its over 90 year history - and it showed. Different countries and divisions were interpreting the brand in their own ways, using their own messaging, with no consistency other than using the color red everywhere.
So we started with the facts, Our research included brand perception evaluations with 70 brokers around the world, in-depth interviews with nearly 100 Markel employees, as well as a company-wide quantitative survey. What was it that made Markel stand out in a crowded market place?
What we heard over and over from our brokers was that many specialty insurance products are the same, with the same price point, and the same level of coverage. But when they worked with Markel, they got a bonus. The people. A CEO who would jump on calls. A customer service team who led with compassion. And they got a long-term, committed partner who’s there when they needed us most.
From there, we put our ‘People Powered’ ethos at the heart of our brand positioning. We created a warm visual identity featuring people, natural light, and environments, symbolizing relationships, sophistication, and optimism. The word mark was updated, to bring a sense of the future with still a tie to the past. And with keeping people at the core of all we do, we differentiate, update, and keep sacred the spirit of Markel.