An Elephant’s Perspective

People treat you differently when you are an elephant. Everyone wants to high-five you, dance with you or hug you – not reactions to which we in the insurance industry are accustomed. When you are a pudgy pachyderm, most people see you and smile. For three weekends in February, I was “Elmer the safety elephant” and official ambassador of “Injury Prevention Month” in North Bay, Ontario.

Playing the beloved Elmer is a sharp contrast to my day job at Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), where high-fives from the public are frankly hard to come by. It is much more likely, on an average day, that I would be subjected to angry emails from consumers and fiery tirades against the IBC and the industry in the media. The public’s perception of the insurance industry is at an all-time low, and we all feel the brunt of it on a daily basis.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE

My brief time as an elephant started me thinking about how we are all judged, whether as a group or individuals, based on what is on the surface. Our industry has always been there for Canadians in times of need, and is made up of some of the most fair-minded people you would ever want to meet. Yet, we are currently viewed unfavorably based on past premium increases that were largely beyond our control.

Which brought me back to thinking about my day job. Among the higher-priority projects I am involved with at IBC is restoring consumer confidence. As the name implies, the goal of the project is to return the industry to its former status as a trusted pillar of the community. In order to accomplish this, we need to dramatically change how people view us, and that is where I think the lessons from North Bay and my experiences as Elmer are invaluable.

I am personally encouraged by what I saw through the eyes of “the safety elephant”. We kicked off “Injury Prevention Month” with a news conference from which I got the sense that everyone – the public, the media, local politicians – were firmly behind us. The mayor made the announcement, and every media outlet in the area turned out. Injury prevention benefits everyone by preventing tragedies and reducing costs related to health care, insurance and emergency services. When building relationships and seeking cooperation, common goals help. The simplicity of the messages was key.

PACKED EVENTS

The month was jam-packed with events, all with an injury prevention theme featuring the IBC’s “Be Smart. Be Safe” message. Helmet safety figured prominently the first weekend with the IBC making a pre-game presentation at the North Bay Skyhawks hockey game on the importance of wearing a helmet for skating and other winter sports. The theme was also stressed at a local ski hill, where the head ski instructor used coconuts to show what could happen to a helmetless head impacting against ice, a tree and other hard surfaces.

Car and snowmobile safety was another major theme. The Skyhawks post-game included a “cars on ice” demonstration, showing the advantage of using winter tires for driving on ice and snow. The second weekend saw John Blaicher, an expert on snowmobile safety, conducting a series of snowmobile rescue demonstrations on North Bay’s Trout Lake.

On the second Sunday Elmer donned a custom-made hockey helmet to once again stress helmet safety at a free skate for kids. As with all the events I attended as Elmer, there was no end to the smiles from kids, many of whom remember Elmer as a trusted symbol from their own childhood. Their parents seemed to appreciate the industry’s efforts to make a difference in their community.

As I high-fived and danced with the children on the final day of the program, it dawned on me that the change I had made (from a business suit to a styrofoam elephant costume) was not so different from what the industry needs to do to regain the public’s trust. On the inside, I have always been a friendly, dancing elephant who is great with kids. The public just did not see it until I put on the costume.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

As an industry, most of us genuinely care about safer homes, safer roads, and an insurance system that is fair and affordable. We just need to show people our “warm and fuzzy side” more often. Whether that means more community outreach, stepping up in leadership on road safety research, crime prevention or something else altogether, I know the industry can reconnect with consumers.