AA Insurance wanted to communicate widely its strong sustainability story, particularly its focus on trust which underpins its industry-leading reputation score*.

The much-respected insurance company, a joint venture between the NZ Automobile Association (NZAA) and Suncorp, asked Wright Communications to help it develop and write its first Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

The business had developed a new Blueprint for Success which articulated the underpinning core strategy to “be more things to more people”.  The new strategy also includes the three themes of building trust and transparency, growing customer value and developing internal capability. 

A new CSR Framework had also been introduced which guides the company’s efforts in getting things sorted for customers, helping the environment, caring for people and communities and doing the right thing.

The Wright Approach

Before setting out to learn more about the AA Insurance approach to CSR, Wright Communications conducted a benchmarking study of CSR positioning and messaging in the Australasian insurance industry. We found no other New Zealand-based insurance company produced a comprehensive CSR or sustainability report. The field was open for an AA Insurance first.

Our next step was to work closely with AA Insurance Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Ainslie Malcolm, to understand its material issues, its CSR strategy and initiatives underway to deliver on the strategy. We then developed an editorial content outline that was guided by the fundamental principles of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

AA Insurance has a bright, colourful and friendly persona. It was imperative that the CSR Report followed that brand style while maintaining a substantive backbone.

We maintained this approach by interviewing several Executive Leaders in the business and letting their voices infiltrate the report and set the tone. To gather content for the report we also trawled through a wide range of sources including websites, media coverage, media releases and internal documents.

The outcome

The CSR Report style and tone reflected AA Insurance’s down to earth Kiwi brand and provides customers, regulators, and other stakeholders with a snapshot of sustainability initiatives at the insurance company.

AA Insurance was delighted to announce the publication of its inaugural CSR Report and communicate its CSR approach and progress on a range of environmental and social topics that impact its business and customers. The report showcased its strong focus on people and followed the general principles of sustainability reporting, including carbon emissions and its commitment to a low-carbon future.

“We are so proud of everyone’s collective hard work to support each other, our customers and our community, and hope our unique culture and authenticity brings this to life through the words and visuals for those who read our 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.” – Ainslie Malcom, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

The AA Insurance CSR Report can be found here:

aa-insurance-csr-report-2020.pdf (aainsurance.co.nz)

* AA Insurance is ranked No 5 in the Colmar Brunton Corporate Reputation Index 2021.