The crowd in attendance waited in anticipation. The familiar CAS seal, a symbol that had represented the CAS for nearly one hundred years, was displayed on the screen. The next slide would reveal a transformed mark to represent the CAS into its next 100 years.
The slide changed. An audible gasp was heard among the crowd, then applause, as members expressed an appreciation for a tangible sign that the CAS was moving forward with renewed energy to address the challenges that lie ahead. Such was the atmosphere as the CAS unveiled its new organizational logo and tagline during the 2013 CAS Spring Meeting General Session, “Shining a Light on the CAS Brand.”
Although they are the most highly visible, the new organizational logo and tagline are only a small part of an eff ort undertaken over the past year to define and advance the CAS brand. The comprehensive outreach eff ort was the focus of the Spring Meeting session, moderated by CAS President Gary Josephson. During the session, Gary and his panelists, who included President-Elect Wayne Fisher and CAS Vice President for Marketing and Communications Arlie Proctor, described the launch of a series of new initiatives to increase the awareness of the unique role of the CAS as the world’s leading organization credentialing and supporting property-casualty actuaries. I was also on the session panel and was privileged to have the opportunity to share my insights into the CAS brand evaluation and promotion.
What is the CAS Brand?
In general, a brand is a declaration made to key external and internal audiences. A brand is a promise—a promise of value that extends beyond a visual identity or a marketing campaign.
In early 2012, the CAS Board of Directors agreed that the brand of the new CAS Fellow was an important component in promoting the capabilities of actuaries who complete the CAS basic education system. Defining and promoting the brand would communicate to employers the value that CAS Fellows provide.
The board formed a task force to explore this further.
The board charged the FCAS Brand Task Force with evaluating what the CAS brand should be with respect to a Fellow who has completed the CAS basic education system. In its initial stages of work, the task force recommended expanding the scope of the project to include evaluating the brand for the CAS as an organization.
Around the same time, the new CAS Strategic Plan, which was formally adopted by the CAS Board in November 2012, articulated the direction for the CAS’s continued growth and success. The plan calls for the CAS to proactively educate all of its stakeholders as to the value of the CAS credentials.
To assist the CAS with defining and promoting the CAS brand in fulfillment of the strategic plan, the task force and CAS staff engaged a respected association consulting firm that specializes in market research and strategic marketing. The branding team would spend the next nine months holding weekly teleconferences to examine the current perceptions of the CAS brand and to develop plans to promote the CAS brand to key stakeholders.
As a first step, the task force identified the CAS’s key constituents as including:
- CAS members
- Candidates for membership (those who are taking CAS examinations)
- Employers of CAS members and candidates
- Regulators
- University students
- Academics
We conducted both qualitative and in a clear understanding of the CAS brand and position in the marketplace, from which we were able to distill seven attributes that represent the CAS brand.
Premier
Our credential is unmatched for its rigor, integrity and relevance—attributes that employers and regulators value. That reputation extends to our members, who consider us to be THE professional society for P&C actuaries.
Leading
The actuarial profession is constantly changing. We strive to lead our members through the changes and serve as a model of opportunity, adaptation and innovation.
Respected
For almost 100 years, CAS has been setting the standard of expertise, credibility and professional integrity for the P&C actuarial profession.
Valuable
We strive to be a trusted, valuable resource for members for their professional development and advancement throughout their careers.
Specialized
When it comes to our mission and work, we have a singular focus: to provide members with the specialized credential, knowledge, resources and community they need to be uniquely qualified for the P&C field.
Collaborative
Our dedicated and talented volunteers, members and staff inspire a culture of trust and support that is unparalleled in the actuarial community.
Partner
We believe that the most effective way to advance and protect the actuarial profession is to work collectively with the organizations and constituencies that are critical to our members both in the U.S. and across the globe.
In addition, the research allowed us to articulate our brand promise, which describes what the CAS offers in a way that matters to its key stakeholders.
Based on the perceptions identified through the market research, we developed a brand messaging platform that identifies specific key messages for each set of stakeholders. The brand messaging platform provides a foundation for the detailed marketing plans that will be executed for promoting the CAS to members, candidates, employers, regulators, university students and academics. Our proactive outreach strategies will reinforce and substantiate the perceptions of the CAS brand for the key stakeholders.
Following the market research, articulation of the CAS brand attributes, and development of the messaging platform, we assessed whether the historical CAS seal was the best representation of the CAS brand. It was determined that that a new, modern logo would better represent the CAS brand attributes as the CAS celebrates its Centennial in 2014 and marches into its second century.
As the CAS promotes itself to its key stakeholders through the marketing outreach strategies, the new visual identity will support that eff ort. The new logo is fresh and different, while maintaining similarities to the historical seal. The graphic retains the visual equity that has the U.S. and across the globe.
In addition, the research allowed us to articulate our brand promise, which describes what the CAS offers in a way that matters to its key stakeholders.
Based on the perceptions identified through the market research, we developed a brand messaging platform that identifies specific key messages for each set of stakeholders. The brand messaging platform provides a foundation for the detailed marketing plans that will be executed for promoting the CAS to members, candidates, employers, regulators, university students and academics. Our proactive outreach strategies will reinforce and substantiate the perceptions of the CAS brand for the key stakeholders.
Following the market research, articulation of the CAS brand attributes, and development of the messaging platform, we assessed whether the historical CAS seal was the best representation of the CAS brand. It was determined that that a new, modern logo would better represent the CAS brand attributes as the CAS celebrates its Centennial in 2014 and marches into its second century.
As the CAS promotes itself to its key stakeholders through the marketing outreach strategies, the new visual identity will support that eff ort. The new logo is fresh and different, while maintaining similarities to the historical seal. The graphic retains the visual equity that has been established over the years through the round shape, primary blue color palette, and interconnected letterforms. The sleek modern type face and dimensional use of color present the CAS as a forward-looking organization.
The eye-catching gold dot reinforces the perception of the CAS as the gold standard of the property-casualty actuarial profession while representing precision and value.
A tagline that captures the essence of what the CAS provides to its key stakeholders—100 Years of Expertise, Insight & Solutions—further reinforces the CAS brand.
The task force presented the new visual identity to the board of directors during a teleconference held in April 2012. The board resolved to adopt the revised CAS logo and tagline as presented, pending a positive review by a global market research firm.
Before we could unveil the new visual identity to our key stakeholders, we engaged a global market research firm to review the logo and tagline with native linguists in 16 different countries to make sure there were no issues with our brand in other languages and cultures. We were encouraged by the key finding, that “the logo presents no areas of cultural concern, conflict or insensitivity. On the contrary, its reception has shown to be highly positive, free of any cultural bias, and safe for global use. We can safely conclude that CAS should have no concerns or hesitation to roll out this logo as part of its global brand platform.”
Where We Go From Here
As plans were made for “Shining a Light on the CAS Brand” at the 2013 Spring Meeting and the brand roll-out that followed, the task force had one remaining task: to develop detailed marketing-communication plans for key external target audiences. These marketing plans have now been turned over to the Brand Marketing Implementation Task Force, which will be working with staff and other committees within the CAS to carry out the plans’ tactics. During the 2013 Spring Meeting “Shining a Light” session, panelists discussed planned initiatives to promote the CAS core functions of basic education, continuing education and research.
A task force that conducted a thorough review of the CAS Syllabus of Basic Education concluded that the current basic education system is fundamentally sound, but recommended making changes over time to ensure the continued relevance of the system for casualty actuaries. Wayne Fisher lauded these new education requirements and asserted that they will make CAS members more effective in their jobs and create more opportunities for them.
Plans are also being developed to further enhance continuing education offerings to help professionals maintain the skill level that employers and regulators expect of casualty actuaries.
Another initiative involves making academic actuarial research relevant to everyday business concerns. Speaking earlier at the CAS Business Session, CAS Vice President for Research and Development Alice Underwood cited several examples, including a recently completed survey of literature on climate change. Now the CAS will see how that research can address practical challenges in property-casualty insurance.
Efforts are also underway to strengthen ties to the academic community. With more than 250 CAS members serving as liaisons to colleges and universities across the world, the CAS plans to develop case studies that will allow its grassroots legion of university liaisons to assist academics in teaching property/casualty concepts to actuarial students. Arlie Proctor stressed the importance of these academic ties, stating that academics and their students “have a hunger for interacting with real-world professionals and for working on real-world problems.”
For more details on the CAS brand, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions and a recording of the webcast of the Spring Meeting session, visit the CAS website at www.casact.org. ●
- Michael Boa is the CAS Director of Communications and Marketing.
INSERT GRAPHIC OF NEW LOGO
Side Bar
The CAS Brand Promise: We focus on supporting casualty actuaries who are committed to achieving their full professional potential while maintaining the highest standards of conduct and competence.
LQ: A brand is a promise—a promise of value that extends beyond a visual identity or a marketing campaign.
LQ: The branding team would spend the next nine months holding weekly teleconferences to examine the current
perceptions of the CAS brand and to develop plans to promote the CAS brand to key stakeholders.
