To ingenuity and beyond: Meet the winners of AIA Lifehackers 2023
Published May 11, 2023 06:23 am
Innovation and creativity are the lifeblood of progress, and nowhere is this more evident than in the field of marketing and technology. However, regardless of the technological breakthroughs, when we talk about insurance, some of us would see it as an expensive expense or not just on our "Things I must get" list.
Thankfully, these challenges were addressed at the recent Lifehackers, a hybrid hackfest hosted by AIA Philippines aimed to drive relevance in young people’s lives and create meaningful connections with them. In turn, they are empowered to become agents of change through their proposed creative and innovative solutions which will improve the lives of many Filipinos through life insurance. Over a hundred finalists comprising students and young professionals presented their ideas which showcased the power of collaboration, creativity, and ingenuity in addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing the insurance businesses today. Five teams from both student and young professional categories were awarded, each for their innovative ideas on Technology and how emerging trends can be used to create new or improve existing insurance products, upgrade customer service, or increase efficiency; and Marketing, Products, and Services where they were given the opportunity to present ideas on new marketing campaigns, customer engagement strategies, and brand positioning and how it can create a deeper connection between the business and its customers, improve customer loyalty, and increase sales.
Arriving a little earlier than the call time, the Bagel Beasts team composed of Cheska Hung (Ateneo de Manila University), Ella Zhuang, Tofelle John Jipos, and Timothy Mather (University of the Philippines), sat in a corner while talking and polishing up a few things on their presentation. The team looked determined to win. So, to help ease the nervousness, I asked them to discuss their app called AIA VitaliPET, a virtual pet buddy representing you and your journey towards securing life insurance plans based on your goals and needs. "We saw an opportunity because even the lowest members of the society play games, so why not create something fun and interactive? Not only will they learn about insurance, but they can also have one at a very affordable price.” Bagel Beasts confidently presented AIA VitaliPET, which has the same interface as most commonly used apps like Bondee, and Pokemon, to name a few.* *When asked how much their guesstimate expense for their app would be, they said, *"It's going to be a lot, but we believe in our solution."* Now, that's confidence!
Four young men, confidently walking along the Marquis corridor, were all smiles and excited to present their campaign to the judges. When asked about their group name, they said, "*our first names start with John, John Cedric Angeles, John Michael Bricia, John Roland Luzong, and Johndel Patrick Torrizo, so to make it sound Pinoy, we used Juans instead of (Tito) Johns." * Their campaign, aptly entitled "AIA Bridging the Gap: Promoting Insurance to All Filipinos Through Viral Marketing Approach," had the Tito Juans presenting a light and targeted marketing campaign in their belief that this is the new norm. They live by the saying "the young minds are the future." When asked who the best influencer is for their campaign, they said, "we believe nano influencers have something to say too, so we want to focus on them rather than macro influencers." They're young, agile forward thinkers who know exactly what makes their generation tick, and how they can be influenced. This understanding of the target audience will bring valuable insight to their proposal, and will be helpful in attracting potential customers to AIA.
Shy at first, they eventually unleashed the "beast" in them when they started presenting their entry to the panelists. The team is composed of UP Visayas students namely John Markton Olarte, KC Anne Isturis, Mariefher Grace Villanueva, Erru Torculas, and Misael Angelo Zausa. The group believed that one of the biggest life challenges is the ability to adapt. Coming from this belief, the group came up with a product that can be customized based on the customers’ needs, called "AIA Adapt: Modularized Life Insurance Policy." According to one of the members, the biggest difficulty in selling life Insurance is that it’s inaccessible to low-income earners. "We wanted this product to gain more policyholders by introducing them to the fact that it is highly customizable." I agree. Filipinos also want to know more about insurance and get protected, but it is hard to understand, expensive, and does not exactly fit their needs.
The team’s proposed app is called the My AIA SuperApp, a fully gamified insurance marketplace platform that promotes healthy living, powered by Artificial Intelligence with features of AIA and Vitality in one "superapp." The gamification framework called "Octalysis" was used by the team in their proposal. This framework is operated by a gamification guru called Yu-kai Chou, made up of eight core drives that motivate human behavior and provide a blueprint for designing gamified experiences that engage users. Some companies like La Quinta Hotels and WizOn have grown their sales leads exponentially over the years using the said framework.
Their big idea is to help Filipino parents appreciate the value of life insurance by launching a campaign that utilizes emotional storytelling as a marketing strategy. Based on the big idea, the contents used for this campaign showcased real life stories and encouraged customers to post with their campaign hashtag #AnakItoyAtin (a play of words for AIA). The events or drives will be done where customers need insurance the most, like hospitals, car dealers, and airports, to name a few. There are also events like forums or fairs that parents and their children can participate in. When asked about the sustainability of this strategy, Natalya confidently explained that this campaign is not just about heartwarming videos but also a movement where AIA can debunk misconceptions and have a chance to educate its potential customers about the importance of being protected by insurance.
Team Indieco members Ava Arnejo, Leah Cioco, and Natalya Patolot brought home a whopping PHP200,000 in cash and two trophies for winning two categories.
Thankfully, these challenges were addressed at the recent Lifehackers, a hybrid hackfest hosted by AIA Philippines aimed to drive relevance in young people’s lives and create meaningful connections with them. In turn, they are empowered to become agents of change through their proposed creative and innovative solutions which will improve the lives of many Filipinos through life insurance. Over a hundred finalists comprising students and young professionals presented their ideas which showcased the power of collaboration, creativity, and ingenuity in addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing the insurance businesses today. Five teams from both student and young professional categories were awarded, each for their innovative ideas on Technology and how emerging trends can be used to create new or improve existing insurance products, upgrade customer service, or increase efficiency; and Marketing, Products, and Services where they were given the opportunity to present ideas on new marketing campaigns, customer engagement strategies, and brand positioning and how it can create a deeper connection between the business and its customers, improve customer loyalty, and increase sales.
Team Bagel Beasts - Technology Category Winner (College)
Arriving a little earlier than the call time, the Bagel Beasts team composed of Cheska Hung (Ateneo de Manila University), Ella Zhuang, Tofelle John Jipos, and Timothy Mather (University of the Philippines), sat in a corner while talking and polishing up a few things on their presentation. The team looked determined to win. So, to help ease the nervousness, I asked them to discuss their app called AIA VitaliPET, a virtual pet buddy representing you and your journey towards securing life insurance plans based on your goals and needs. "We saw an opportunity because even the lowest members of the society play games, so why not create something fun and interactive? Not only will they learn about insurance, but they can also have one at a very affordable price.” Bagel Beasts confidently presented AIA VitaliPET, which has the same interface as most commonly used apps like Bondee, and Pokemon, to name a few.* *When asked how much their guesstimate expense for their app would be, they said, *"It's going to be a lot, but we believe in our solution."* Now, that's confidence!
Team Tito Juans - Marketing Category Winner (College)
Four young men, confidently walking along the Marquis corridor, were all smiles and excited to present their campaign to the judges. When asked about their group name, they said, "*our first names start with John, John Cedric Angeles, John Michael Bricia, John Roland Luzong, and Johndel Patrick Torrizo, so to make it sound Pinoy, we used Juans instead of (Tito) Johns." * Their campaign, aptly entitled "AIA Bridging the Gap: Promoting Insurance to All Filipinos Through Viral Marketing Approach," had the Tito Juans presenting a light and targeted marketing campaign in their belief that this is the new norm. They live by the saying "the young minds are the future." When asked who the best influencer is for their campaign, they said, "we believe nano influencers have something to say too, so we want to focus on them rather than macro influencers." They're young, agile forward thinkers who know exactly what makes their generation tick, and how they can be influenced. This understanding of the target audience will bring valuable insight to their proposal, and will be helpful in attracting potential customers to AIA.
Team Pending - Product Category Winner (College)
Team Pending was sure-footed and gave me a warm smile when I interviewed them before the event proper.
Shy at first, they eventually unleashed the "beast" in them when they started presenting their entry to the panelists. The team is composed of UP Visayas students namely John Markton Olarte, KC Anne Isturis, Mariefher Grace Villanueva, Erru Torculas, and Misael Angelo Zausa. The group believed that one of the biggest life challenges is the ability to adapt. Coming from this belief, the group came up with a product that can be customized based on the customers’ needs, called "AIA Adapt: Modularized Life Insurance Policy." According to one of the members, the biggest difficulty in selling life Insurance is that it’s inaccessible to low-income earners. "We wanted this product to gain more policyholders by introducing them to the fact that it is highly customizable." I agree. Filipinos also want to know more about insurance and get protected, but it is hard to understand, expensive, and does not exactly fit their needs.
Team John 10:10 - Technology Category Winner (Young Professionals)
If I could describe this group with one word, it would be humble. Dressed casually, poised, and quietly memorizing their speech, Rick Rick Zafe, Victor Carlo Chan, and Albert Cona bagged the Technology category for Young Professionals, applying their deep understanding in gamification to come up with a winning proposal.
The team’s proposed app is called the My AIA SuperApp, a fully gamified insurance marketplace platform that promotes healthy living, powered by Artificial Intelligence with features of AIA and Vitality in one "superapp." The gamification framework called "Octalysis" was used by the team in their proposal. This framework is operated by a gamification guru called Yu-kai Chou, made up of eight core drives that motivate human behavior and provide a blueprint for designing gamified experiences that engage users. Some companies like La Quinta Hotels and WizOn have grown their sales leads exponentially over the years using the said framework.
Team Indieco - Marketing and Product Category Winner (Young Professionals)
Not one, but two - this team showcased their marketing strategies and ingenious product to the panelists and audience and it didn't disappoint. Company. Customers. Competitors. These are the three C's of Marketing, and these ladies were able to answer the needs of the company (AIA), customers (low-income, parents, basically, anyone), and be unique for its competitors.
Their big idea is to help Filipino parents appreciate the value of life insurance by launching a campaign that utilizes emotional storytelling as a marketing strategy. Based on the big idea, the contents used for this campaign showcased real life stories and encouraged customers to post with their campaign hashtag #AnakItoyAtin (a play of words for AIA). The events or drives will be done where customers need insurance the most, like hospitals, car dealers, and airports, to name a few. There are also events like forums or fairs that parents and their children can participate in. When asked about the sustainability of this strategy, Natalya confidently explained that this campaign is not just about heartwarming videos but also a movement where AIA can debunk misconceptions and have a chance to educate its potential customers about the importance of being protected by insurance.
Product Category
Indieco’s proposed product, Future Forward Fund, is simple and based on the customer's needs, giving them complete control of their policy. According to the team’s presentation, once the policyholder is logged into the AIA Portal, Future Fund policyholders can access the following services: * View existing policies * Apply for claims * Pay online * Connect with a Financial Advisor * Browse through financial articles and free financial literacy courses * Allocate funds according to what the customer needs * Switch fund allocations up to 5 timesTeam Indieco members Ava Arnejo, Leah Cioco, and Natalya Patolot brought home a whopping PHP200,000 in cash and two trophies for winning two categories.
We're all about believing in the youth and ingenious minds!
The AIA Lifehackers event is a testament to the growing importance of innovation especially in an industry considered old and antiquated like life insurance. With technology playing an increasingly critical role in how businesses engage with their customers, fostering an environment that encourages creativity and innovation is essential. The event provided young and talented individuals a platform to showcase their ideas and talents while allowing businesses to gain insights to emerging trends as seen from the perspective of the Gen Z. The words "financial literacy", "Gen Z", and "Millennials" were used profoundly among all participants. I appreciate the fact these young minds are open-minded and eager to fill the gap by answering the never-ending issue of financial literacy. However, technological breakthroughs are no longer a thing of the past nor a generation-gap issue. Whoever gets to adapt to unexpected and inevitable changes is the one who can survive in this fast-paced digitalization world. Watch the Final Battle highlights [here](https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAIAPhilippines%2Fvideos%2F780317429753202%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0) *Special thanks to the knowledge partners (Argao Psych, Google, Jungo Pinoy, Mullenlowe Treyna, Ogilvy & Mather, Pino Studio, Qairos, RGC, SMMPh, and Talents is Everywhere) and sponsors (Enchanted Kingdom and Angkas) of AIA Lifehackers.*