When it comes to pure imagination and out-of-the-box thinking, it’s hard to beat young Filipinos. And let’s just say that the future’s looking pretty bright based on the ideas that a bunch of students and young professionals brought to the table at this year’s Lifehackers of AIA Philippines (formerly AIA Philam Life).

Lifehackers 2023 of AIA Philippines saw 500 undergraduate college students and young professionals battling it out for the most innovative insurance solutions that will help more Filipinos’ lives be healthier, longer, and better. We’re talking about a competition that invited young people to pitch their game-changing ideas — ideas that could actually transform the insurance industry and impact real life.

In this article, we’re going to highlight the winning ideas out of the top 20 teams that made it into the Final Battle. Participants were given the challenge of coming up with solutions that can help address the problem statement: In a cluttered digital landscape where all competitors are trying to catch the attention of consumers, how can quality leads be generated that are primed to either start a conversation with an advisor or purchase a life insurance policy? These young trailblazers are no joke, and it just goes to show that creativity is alive and kicking in this generation of movers and shakers.

A virtual pet that you take care of by making healthy choices

The winning team for the Technology category under the college students’ group was Bagel Beasts who created AIA Vitality Pet. It brings insurance to young adults by creating a game that visualizes the policy owner as a “pet” they have to nurture and take care of.  The goal of the game is to keep the virtual pet healthy and happy through various activities like exercising, availing of insurance policies, or keeping a healthy diet.

As the virtual pet becomes healthier, customers earn reward points they can use for insurance product discounts or for purchases at restaurants and other shops. The team members were Cheska Elise Hung from the Ateneo de Manila University and the rest from the University of the Philippines are Tofelle John Jipos, John Timothy Mater, Jedrek Rodriguez, and Ella Mae Zhuang.

A puzzle-game approach to personalized life insurance

For the Products and Services category under the college students’ group, the winning team was Team Pending which created AIA Adapt. Highly modularized, AIA Adapt caters to low-income earners who are more prone to financial troubles and yet have no access to tools that can help them gain financial security.

AIA Adapt is broken down into different insurance components – health, family, livelihood, etc – that can be put together like puzzle pieces depending on the needs and income of the user. It can be upgraded or downgraded as needed in response to the fluctuating income sources of the target market, ensuring protection despite financial instability. Plus it’s web-based so it can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Team members from the University of the Philippines are John Markton Olarte, KC Anne Isturis, Misael Angelo Zausa, Mariefher Grace Villanueva, and Erru Torculas.

Using memes and online content for insurance education

For the Marketing category, the winner in the student category was Tito Juans who created AIA Bridge the Gap. It aims to reach more customers by using memes on social media, comic-like stories, and short infographics that educate them about the benefits of insurance. By riding in on viral trends, it hopes top make the brand more relatable, which paves the way for the brand’s message on the importance of life insurance to be more digestible and spreadable.

In this way, insurance becomes more engaging and its benefits more shareable. The team members from the Technological University of the Philippines are John Cedric Angeles, John Michael Bricia, John Roland Luzong, and Johndel Patrick Torrizo

A gamified marketplace for life insurance

For the young professionals, the Technology category winner was John 10:10 who proposed the all-in-one my AIA Super App. It is the Lazada, Shopee, or KonsultaMD of insurance that allows chats and news on relevant topics such as finances and health and insurance product reviews.

Customers can buy a policy within the app itself, talk to financial advisors, leave their own policy reviews or read others’ experiences, and customize their policy benefits. As another unique feature, it is gamified where customers earn reward points and join online raffles. Through the AIA Super App with its chatbot and social media-like experience, learning about insurance and buying products feel more familiar, natural, and fun. Team members were Victor Carlo Chan from IBM Business Services, Albert Cona from Arcadian, and Rick Zafe from AiPaygo.

A campaign that tugs at the heartstrings

For the Marketing category, Team IndieCo brought home the grand prize, with their winning advertising campaign proposal Anak Ito’y Atin (AIA). This marketing campaign strays from focusing on an individual benefiting from buying himself or herself an insurance policy. Instead, it positions life insurance as a gift to one’s children. Its key message: Life insurance ensures their children will be financially secure and taken care of if they (and their income) are no longer around.

Team IndieCo is adamant that while the campaign will be featured through testimonials and commercials online and on television, or shown at family events, forums, and select spaces where consumers need the brand the most, it’s more than just a series of heartwarming videos. Ultimately, it’s a movement that debunks life insurance misconceptions and brings to life the importance of these products through emotional marketing.

Team members from IndieCo are Ava Arnejo, Leah Cionco, and Natalya Patolot.

An online portal that simplifies insurance policies.

For the Products and Services category, Team Indieco also emerged as the winner with its Forward Future Fund product designed with customer-friendliness in mind. In an industry known to be complicated, intimidating, and jargon-filled, IndieCo wins judges’ approval with their simple solution of making insurance plans more transparent through Forward Future Fund’s digital-first design that gives customers more control over their own policies: they can choose their own premiums and term limits and allocate funds depending on their needs. And all these can be done through their proposed AIA portal that allows customers to view existing policies, apply for claims, pay online, connect to a financial adviser, browse through financial articles and free financial literacy courses, allocate funds according to what they need, and switch fund allocations.

What is Lifehackers of AIA Philippines?

Started in 2019, the event in its fourth season aims to showcase AIA Philippines as a life insurance company at the forefront of innovation and digitalization. The competition categories were Technology or Data Solutions, Marketing Solutions, and Products and Services Solutions. Participants for the college group were aged 18 to 21, while young professionals were aged 21 to 28.

Participants first presented their life-hacking solutions online before giving their best pitches in the final round on a live stage, facing the AIA Philippines executives and the other competitors. Each winning team received PHP100,000 in cash prize.

Catch the highlights of the on-ground Final Battle held after the online preliminaries in this video.

AIA Philippines would like to acknowledge 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.

Explore the benefits of insurance and other investments of AIA Philippines. Visit AIA Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, and its website at https://www.aia.com.ph.