For savers and insurance policyholders alike, 2008 was a difficult year, marked by uncertainty and an exceptional, and taxing, degree of volatility on the financial markets.
For savers and insurance policyholders alike, 2008 was a difficult year, marked by uncertainty and an exceptional, and taxing, degree of volatility on the financial markets.
Aviva has taken stock of its customers' concerns, as the economic climate is bleak and economists agree that we will have to wait at least until the second half of 2009 before we see an upturn.
As a result, the mission facing all of the distribution networks is to get closer than ever to their customers, deploying the most appropriate resources to assist them in their daily lives, to help them through their most difficult times and to make the right choices when they are needed.
It is with this in mind that Aviva has drawn up its sales strategy for 2009: increasing customer loyalty, reinforcing the Good Advice programme and developing partnerships:
- In terms of customer loyalty, Aviva intends to set up attractive offers for multiple-policy holders and to organize a new cycle of customer meetings, like the one held in 2008. In total, more than 400 meetings were held in France, enabling us to meet nearly 40,000 group customers in the last quarter of 2008.
- The Good Advice programme, cornerstone of the group's sales strategy, will continue to provide accessible, personalized advice, because customer satisfaction is at the very heart of the programme.
- Developing and ensuring long-term, quality relations with partners (Afer & Crédit du Nord for life assurance, and Ford & Mercedes Benz for general insurance), showcasing Aviva's extensive know-how.
A sales strategy based around three main tenets
Aviva has set three major priorities for meeting the expectations of its customers and continuing its positive growth:
- Security, to anticipate life's ups and downs and to provide real responses in the context of extremely volatile markets,
- Dynamism in its product offering and sales initiatives,
- Sustainable development, confirming its continued commitment to this issue after more than 10 years.
Security
- In life assurance
Against a backdrop of great uncertainty regarding market direction, Aviva will be backing commercial offerings that perfectly meet the security requirements of its savers, for example: Aviva Janvier 2010 guarantees a 5% return in 2009 on all deposits up to €200,000.
Moreover, Aviva published the 2008 rates of return for the euro funds related to the following extremely robust life assurance policies, evidence of the solidity and longevity of the group.
| Policy | Rate in 2008 |
| NORWICH LIBRE CHOIX 2 | 4.25% |
| SELECTION INTERNATIONAL | 4.25% |
| NORWICH STRATEGIE RETRAITE | 4.25% |
| NORWICH STRATEGIE RETRAITE MADELIN | 4.25% |
| NORWICH STRATEGIE RETRAITE ART. 83 | 4.25% |
Aviva also specializes in long-term protection. For example: Aviva was one of the first insurers in France to offer long-term care policies and, with more than twenty years' experience in this field, it has never increased its premiums for this highly specific risk cover.
Aviva offers a complete range of contingency products in order to meet all of its customers' requirements: Aviva long-term care, Aviva Borrower, Senséo and Santhia (long-term care, borrower, contingency, general and health cover).
Aviva will also be running an awareness campaign among medical professionals about its innovative Senséo Médical insurance, which was recently awarded the mark of excellence by the magazine Les Dossiers de l'Epargne, which pinpoints the major risk in this profession: professional incapacity.
Aviva also hopes to offer Afer new long-term care and borrower policies.
- In general insurance
The issue of security is also present in the bold initiatives taken in the field of road safety and environmental protection.
2009 will be a big year for innovation, with the launch of per-mile or pay-as-you-drive insurance pack, the personal accident pack and the service voucher (CESU) pack. A new policy will also be introduced into the range in 2009: yachting insurance to cover the specific risk of this activity, scheduled for release in the autumn.
With its "Corporate citizens on the road" charter, Aviva is providing companies in the road haulage business with a methodological framework for reducing risk and CO2 emissions on the roads, in partnership with Prévention Routière and FORCA (prevention information systems).
Dynamism and responsiveness
In 2009, Aviva's commercial products will reflect the sense of innovation and performance of the company:
- In life assurance
Aviva will be offering products designed to take advantage of prevailing low market valuations and the prospects of medium-term recovery, while still providing savers with guarantees.
Aviva is also offering Aviva Lisséo Duo Janvier 2010, an operation allowing progressive investments on the financial markets using free monthly arbitration operations, while keeping a part of the investment in a secure fund: savers place up to 70% of their capital in the guaranteed part of the product, and from the following month (and monthly after that) an automatic and free arbitration operation invests a part of the savings in eligible unit-linked products from the mutual-fund range set up by Aviva Investors France. Any amount of the remaining 30% may be invested in funds guaranteed 100% until 8 January 2010 in order to cover liquidity requirements.
- In general insurance
In 2009, Aviva comprehensive home insurance will be complemented by new packs, such as the "policyholder's children", "domestic appliances" and "jewellery" packs.
The healthcare element will be enhanced with new packs, specific products for people living near international borders and small groups, and the coverage and premiums in the senior pack will be improved.
For professionals, Aviva intends to lower the cost of its comprehensive insurance for spaces of less than 150 m2, extend its civil liability cover and give SMEs access to its environmental products.
For its car insurance policies, the company will be offering new rates to professionals who use of their cars only moderately.
With regard to construction, Aviva will be making its works damage cover available from €750,000.
Comprehensive farming insurance will also be developed, with farmers benefiting from brand new personal insurance products that are available on-line.
Sustainable development
Aviva France's universal commitment to sustainable development will be materialized in bold, cross-functional, specific initiatives in a range of different product lines.
Aviva is making a significant commitment to this process, as well as to customer satisfaction to ensure that customers receive the best possible quality of service and Good Advice in good time. Consequently, Aviva will be working in particular on developing communication with its customers via Internet in order to send information more quickly and in a more environmentally friendly manner, by using less paper:
- For each customer e-mail address registered between 1 February and 31 March 2009, Aviva will be paying €1 to GoodPlanet, the association headed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, through the Aviva Foundation in order to finance a project in 500 schools in Cambodia.
- The customer information messages will start going out by e-mail from May 2009.
Aviva Green Products
In the field of general insurance and the line of New Energy packs launched in 2007, Aviva will be rolling out an ambitious sales strategy over the year in order to reinforce its commitment to sustainable development.
- In comprehensive home insurance, through its "Energy Performance Diagnostic" product, which is designed to encourage the installation of environmentally friendly heating,
- In car insurance, through its Vélo-cité pack, which covers drivers who regularly travel by bicycle, and implementation of an innovative pricing policy to benefit public transport users,
- In car loans, through its "Aviva Green Credits", which will allow people buying new vehicles to access loans with preferential rates.
With regard to life assurance, the company is working on creating a second socially responsible investment fund with index tracking. This new fund will be launched in the second quarter of 2009.
-ends-
Press contacts:
Aviva Vie
David Chenu
Telephone: 01 76 62 67 92
E-mail: david_chenu@aviva.fr
HDL Communication - Life Assurance
Valérie Dudoit
Telephone: 01 58 65 20 16
E-mail: vdudoit@hdlcom.com
Aviva Assurance
Fanny Diéval
Telephone: 01 76 62 79 67
E-mail: fanny_dieval@aviva.fr
HDL Communication - General Insurance
Philippe Tréguer
Telephone: 01 58 65 00 73
E-mail: ptreguer@hdlcom.com
Notes to editors:
About Aviva
With more than 300 years' experience, Aviva is a major European insurer of global dimensions: it is the leading provider of life assurance and pensions in Europe and holds strong positions in other markets around the world, in particular in North America and Asia, making the company the fifth largest insurer in the world on the basis of gross premiums as of 31 December 2007. Aviva has three main business areas: life assurance and long-term savings, asset management and general insurance, with a total turnover of €56.7 billion in 2007 and €455 billion in assets under management as of 30 June 2008.
With more than 180 years experience in France, Aviva ranks among the top ten players in the insurance market. Aviva France stands out for its solid and profitable balanced multi-distribution model based on a comprehensive range of products aimed primarily at individuals and small- and medium-sized enterprises: with nearly 900 general agents, 1800 branch staff, 400 life assurance advisers, almost 900 asset management advisers (Union Financière de France) and more than 1000 active partner brokers serving three million customers every day. Aviva has developed a special ability to build effective partnerships for the benefit of its customers, most notably with AFER, France's leading savings association, and the Crédit du Nord, Société Générale, Ford and Médéric groups. A specialist in long-term savings, Aviva is renowned for the performance of its long-term funds, the quality and innovative nature of its products, and a strong commitment to customers through its ‘Good advice' approach.
Aviva France is a corporate citizen, having notably reduced and neutralized its CO2 emissions, supported more than 250 projects helping children and pensioners through its Foundation, and implemented an acclaimed diversity policy.
The Aviva group has more than 4700 direct employees in France. On 31 December 2007, it reported a consolidated turnover of €6.5 billion and a net profit based on IFRS accounting standards of €338 million. The company was managing €71.4 billion worth of assets as of 30 June 2008.