AMI is a leading insurer, with 460,000+ customers and 60+ branches nationwide. AMI has been looking out for Kiwis since 1926 and prides itself on being accessible to its customers; a mantra reflected in the positioning statement, “We’re right here”.

AMI first opened in Christchurch 90 years ago, and Cantabrians had been loyal ever since. They considered AMI to be “their insurance company”, which reflected in a healthy local market share.

Everything changed on Tuesday 22 February 2011 when Christchurch was hit by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. In the fallout following an unprecedented level of insurance claims, customer confidence in AMI was at an all-time low, with market share also being hit.

How could AMI win back its place in the hearts of Cantabrians – and prove that its new brand positioning - ‘We’re right here’ - wasn’t just more marketing hype?

The answer was personal; a series of targeted communications to retain and restore confidence among existing Cantabrian customers through a multi-channel retention/activation programme incorporating DM, eDM social media and print.

This series of loyalty-focused and cross-sell campaigns demonstrated that AMI understood the challenges of post-earthquake life and played an active part in the daily lives of Cantabrians.

The strategy paid off. By 2016 the public’s overall confidence in AMI had shot up with customers who had received AMI’s communications scoring significantly higher*. What’s more, there has been an overall uplift in the number of existing customers taking up additional policies, with a staggering of contacted customers taking up an additional policy.

Overall AMI Canterbury is back into positive growth and as a result of the communications, contacted customers have added millions of gross written premium to the business, providing a massive result given the unprecedented challenges faced.

*IPSOS – Canterbury customer commutations: AMI Image