Background

ICEA LION is one of the most established and respected financial services brands in the region, with a long history in insurance and investments. Over the years, the brand has built strong equity around stability, scale, and trust, particularly among high-net-worth individuals and corporate clients.

However, this strength also created an unintended consequence.

In addition, limited retail-facing brand visibility in previous years meant ICEA LION was not top-of-mind when it came to everyday insurance and investment needs. The category itself was already burdened with barriers such as perceived complexity, mistrust, procrastination, and low financial confidence, and the brand’s serious & corporate tone unintentionally reinforced these challenges rather than breaking them down.

As a result, despite having solutions that genuinely address the needs of ordinary Kenyans, ICEA LION was often excluded at the very first stage of decision-making. People didn’t reject the brand; they simply never considered it.

The opportunity, therefore, was not to reinvent ICEA LION, but to humanise it to unlock its relevance, warmth, and accessibility, and reposition it as a brand that understands real life and real people, at every stage of their financial journey.

The Brief

To develop a comprehensive brand campaign that repositions ICEA LION as a brand for everyone. A brand that is approachable and relevant to everyday life, while overcoming long-held perception barriers.

Objectives

To significantly increase consideration and uptake of ICEA LION’s insurance and investment products by reframing how people think and feel about financial planning.

Insight

Most people know they should plan for their future, but very few actually do. They know they need insurance and investments, but haven’t been inspired to take that first step. Why?

– Procrastination (I’ll sort it out one day)
– Living paycheck to paycheck
– Lack of financial know-how and confidence
– The belief that financial planning is complicated and intimidating

Beneath this hesitation lies a deeper emotional human truth: Not having a plan creates anxiety, guilt, and a quiet sense of vulnerability.

“Everyone has a plan but me. I really need to get my act together.”

THE IDEA

A simple question that gently confronts procrastination without judgment, a question that invites conversation and action. Not a lecture. Not a warning. Just a moment of honest self-check.

We created a campaign device called Callout, inspired by a speech bubble that carries the overall brand message “What’s your plan?”. It visually represents ICEA LION as more than a product provider but as a life partner that listens, engages, and supports people through every stage of their journey. The Callout symbolises ongoing conversation, reinforcing a brand that is always present and actively involved in helping customers plan for the future.

Execution

To break away from old-fashioned and expected category communication, we developed a campaign built on a distinctive visual and verbal language, one that feels warm, optimistic, and vibrant.

As a renowned player in the market, ICEA LION had the permission to speak differently, so we leaned into warm, relatable storytelling instead of fear-based category messaging, paired with modern, ownable visuals designed to stand out in a cluttered category. Our tone was carefully balanced to resonate with a younger, aspirational audience while remaining credible and reassuring to existing customers.

The result was a campaign that repositioned ICEA LION not as a distant financial institution, but as a relevant life partner helping everyday people move from uncertainty to having a plan.

PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE

A bright, vibrant, bold, and expressive monochromatic photography style was used to represent joy, warmth, and optimism. The expressions had to be positive, warm, and joyful, featuring real, diverse Kenyan faces celebrating life’s milestones (big and small).

DESIGN SYSTEM

To keep the campaign visually consistent across all touchpoints (from print to digital), we developed a simple design system based on a single mathematical unit. This unit was used to define spacing, scale, and hierarchy, ensuring that every element within a layout felt balanced, intentional, and unmistakably part of the same visual world.

Beyond consistency, the system gave the brand flexibility without losing control. It allowed the campaign to adapt seamlessly across formats, sizes, and channels while maintaining a clear, recognisable look and tone. The result was a cohesive brand experience, one that looked and felt the same wherever people encountered it.

We were equally intentional about information design by stripping each layout down to just three key takeaways to make the message easy to absorb at a glance. Using a simple diagonal reading flow, we guided the eye naturally across the layout, starting with the ICEA LION logo at the top left to establish brand ownership, moving to the main message at the centre as the emotional anchor, and ending with the campaign tagline at the bottom right.

This clear visual hierarchy ensured the communication felt effortless to read, even at speed, allowing the message to land without distraction.