Challenge

With consumers becoming increasingly immune to the noise of standard marketing communication, 16 million customers in the UK and heritage of growth through acquisition, Aviva recognised they needed to focus reform on three things: its legacy of inherited disparate data sets, a disconnected marketing technology stack and restructuring a siloed organisation.

To remain relevant in the new world, Aviva had to completely shift focus from products to customers.

In order to speak to individual customers, Aviva needed all its data in one place, to rethink their approach to marketing. It was time to implement a People-Based Marketing model.

Solution

To make this bold and brave transition, Aviva partnered with Merkle to shift its marketing approach, moving away from traditional product-led marketing strategies to customer-centric communications. Aviva chose the Adobe Marketing Cloud to enable this new strategy

By linking these technologies together information, insights and audiences could be shared and, for the first time, anonymous online data brought together with rich CRM data to drive personalisation. It wasn’t enough to simply implement the tech, Aviva needed to take a leap of faith and re-structure their entire way of working.

So, with Merkle’s help, Aviva took the bold move to completely reorganise a strong marketing department into multi-functional teams, making it a truly agile environment. Using the data, technology and organisational approach change, Aviva has determined not what product to sell, but what is right for the customer.

Results

49% open rate on email in response to Hurricane Maria, with an overall campaign turnaround reduced from three weeks to an average of four days.

-70% cost per acquisition reduction for search. Through using a DMP to drive results, there has also been a 400% increase in sales through display with a 40% reduction in CTA.

+32% average increase in open rate on emails compared to 2016, with an average 3x response rate over the same span.

50% of outbound emails that are now automated by recognising behavioural rather than product triggers.

+494% increase in cross-sell quotes as more personalised journeys have been rolled out, with the figure set to increase.