Briefing: Confidence Men and Women – and the Industry’s Missing Marketing Narrative
Dr. Amara Okonkwo
Trade Policy • Economic Development • Regional Integration
Key Takeaways
Insurance Times explores why the industry’s marketing narrative fails to showcase its confident talent and what that means for attracting new business and talent.
- •The insurance industry has long prided itself on prudence and caution, but in an era where brands are built on personality and trust, a missing marketing narrative is leaving confidence men and women – the sector’s most charismatic talent – underutilised.
- •The Confidence Gap From brokers to underwriters, the industry is filled with individuals who exude confidence in their expertise.
- •Yet when it comes to marketing, insurers and intermediaries often retreat into safe, jargon laden messaging that fails to resonate with younger audiences and potential clients.
- •“We hire confident people, but we market like we’re apologising for existing,” one senior marketing director told Insurance Times.
Insurance Times explores why the industry’s marketing narrative fails to showcase its confident talent and what that means for attracting new business and talent.
The insurance industry has long prided itself on prudence and caution, but in an era where brands are built on personality and trust, a missing marketing narrative is leaving confidence men and women – the sector’s most charismatic talent – underutilised.
The Confidence Gap
From brokers to underwriters, the industry is filled with individuals who exude confidence in their expertise. Yet when it comes to marketing, insurers and intermediaries often retreat into safe, jargon-laden messaging that fails to resonate with younger audiences and potential clients.
“We hire confident people, but we market like we’re apologising for existing,” one senior marketing director told Insurance Times. This disconnect means that the very traits that make the industry effective – decisiveness, risk assessment, and interpersonal skills – are invisible to the outside world.
Missing the Human Element
The missing narrative is not about flashy ads but about storytelling. Customers and recruits want to see the people behind the policies. The industry’s reliance on technical descriptions and compliance-heavy copy leaves little room for the human element.
A recent roundtable of insurance marketers highlighted that many firms still struggle to define their ‘why’. Without a compelling story, the industry risks being seen as a commoditised service rather than a career of purpose.
What Can Be Done?
- Show, don’t tell: Use real case studies of confident professionals solving complex client problems.
- Embrace authenticity: Avoid generic stock imagery; feature actual employees in marketing materials.
- Tell the wider story: Connect insurance to societal resilience and innovation, not just risk transfer.
Conclusion
The industry has the talent – the confidence men and women who drive deals and protect livelihoods. It now needs a marketing narrative that matches their energy. Without that, the sector will continue to lose ground in the war for talent and customer engagement.
Dr. Amara Okonkwo
Senior Economic Analyst specializing in emerging markets and South-South trade dynamics. Former World Bank consultant with 15 years of experience in African and Asian economies.