Story
Ranked among the top 20 insurance companies in Europe and Asia, Ageas is the third largest car insurer in the UK, partnering with some of the best loved brands and institutions, including John Lewis and Tesco Bank. Ageas wanted to develop a disruptive, innovative and scalable business and asked ?What If! to help.
Solution
We partnered with Ageas for nine months through a ‘Pop-Up, Start-Up’ approach. This involved a way of working which took the best practice of high growth start-ups, combined with the strengths of a large established company.
We discovered that while millennials (18-34 year olds) felt current insurance offers were irrelevant, they did have “protection needs” that were not being catered to. To solve this unmet need, we built Back Me Up, a one-stop-shop-protection-business designed for young adults that believes protecting things should enable you to better live your life, and not create a straightjacket around it. It feels more like a lifestyle product than insurance. It’s digital, simple and flexible. Items are catalogued by photo upload instead of forms. And, extra coverage comes in monthly bolt-ons.
Results
We co-created a business case that was rewarded with an investment to move to build. Back Me Up, launched by Ageas in 2016, is set to make a huge in-market impact with a disruptive offer and model. However, our real legacy will live on far beyond Back Me Up – Ageas has subsequently introduced a new way of working, and is now brimming with inventive spirit led by Back Me Up and its Innovation Team.