Uncovering remarkable stories behind cover
FMI’s core belief is that everybody’s greatest asset is their ability to earn an income, and that the most important job of any life insurance benefit is to protect the client and his or her family.
With this in mind, in celebrating turning 21, FMI staff teams embarked on a journey across South Africa to find 21 of the most inspiring client stories it has been a part of over the past 21 years.
Understanding the concept
FAnews spoke to Chane de Fortier, Marketing Coordinator at FMI, about the campaign and what lessons have been learnt.
“The #21Lives campaign is about sharing the incredible stories of peoples’ lives that we have impacted over the past 21 years. We want to tell their stories because that is our story and we want to showcase this. This campaign hopes to achieve a greaterunderstanding of what FMI does, who we are and what we believe in,” said de Fortier.
“The concept came about when we, for our 21st year, wanted to tell our story. We, however, needed to ask ourselves, ‘How do we tell the FMI story our way?’ Our history is not the products we have launched, the shareholders or the licenses. It is not even our growth and successes – although we should be proud. It is the people we have helped – people with plans and ambitions who needed FMI to step in. That is the FMI story we needed to tell,” continued de Fortier.
Gus The Bus
The journey began on 20 April, when a fun and heartwarming sight of a branded vintage VW bus fondly referred to as “Gus The Bus” was cheered and applauded into Umhlanga in front of FMI’s offices in Durban.
The bus was welcomed by a team from FMI and their greater Bidvest family before it embarked on its first official journey to meet 21 inspiring people around the country to the provinces of KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng. Around 4 293kms have been travelled so far.
The purpose of the #21Lives campaign was to bring to light the stories of remarkable people who, despite all odds, have continued to reach their dreams and fulfil their plans and ambitions.
Remarkable stories
Looking back at the journey De Fortier said that it is hard to put down all the story highlights into one summary. She said the team have met so many incredible people and discovered so many unique situations where FMI has been able to step in and allow clients to continue with their dreams.
Marcelle’s journey with FMI started only a few days before she was involved in a serious car accident on the way home from her nephew’s second birthday party. Both Marcelle’s legs were quite severely damaged, leaving her doctor to amputate both legs above the knees. Since the accident occurred right after her FMI policy was accepted, she in turn never paid a single premium to FMI, and FMI will be paying her income until she’s 75!
“Another story that has really touched our hearts is that of a dentist in Cape Town who has claimed with us nine times in 18 years. This goes to show, had he not had cover, where would he have been without the financial security. To go through what these people have been through and still sit on film and smile shows they are pillars of strength, and once again, FMI is grateful to have helped in holding up that pillar,” continued de Fortier.
With Marcelle’s story we are reminded that financial advisers play a vital role when it comes to giving the most effective advice on cover for life-changing events. This points to the harsh reality De Fortier pointed out - had she not had cover, where would she have been without the financial security.
Biggest lessons learnt
“In looking at the lessons learnt, de Fortier said, “One of the biggest lessons we have learnt so far is that people’s lives can be affected in so many ways and at the most unexpected of times. One always thinks, ‘It will never happen to me’. When something does happen, however, dealing with that shock, as well as the situation, makes it harder to deal with if one has financial trouble on top of that. Meeting all the claimants has just affirmed everything we stand for and made us that much more proud of who we are.”
When asked if the objective has been achieved, de Fortier said, “Absolutely! The objective of the campaign was/is to tell the claimants’ stories, and by capturing that on film, it brings a whole unique element to the way we sell our products.”
De Fortier concluded by saying that we will most definitely be seeing Gus The Bus again in the future. “Gus is part of the family and he will now attend all future events, appear in marketing material, as well as be utilised as a staff bus.”
Editor’s Thoughts:
Well done FMI on such a great initiative and touching the lives of so many. A true inspiration to the industry. Here’s to making memories to last another 21 years! Please comment below, interact with us on Twitter at @fanews_online or email me your thoughts [email protected].
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