TAL launches ‘Life Takes Guts’ brand platform via Ogilvy

TAL has unveiled a brand platform Life Takes Guts as part of a national campaign created by Ogilvy that seeks to reframe life insurance for a broader audience, particularly younger Australians.

The campaign, live this week across BVOD, YouTube, out-of-home and digital channels, positions life insurance as a key enabler of resilience rather than just a safety net in extreme circumstances. The platform will also be rolled out across TAL’s owned assets and used internally to embed the brand’s refreshed direction throughout the organisation.

“‘Life Takes Guts’ is about celebrating the strength Australians show every day as they face life’s challenges and reinforcing that we stand with them,” said TAL’s chief customer and brand officer, Alex Homer. “We’re here to make life insurance the easy part of building a resilient life, supporting people through life’s moments and providing a safety net when needed.”

The campaign features real Australians, including a real-life couple, to bring emotional authenticity and challenge traditional life insurance advertising tropes.

“TAL’s ambition challenged us to move beyond the usual category tropes of life insurance and provided the ideal opportunity to apply an agile way of working that united specialists from across the full Ogilvy network, and within TAL,” Ogilvy managing partner Sally Borda, added. “This allowed Ogilvy and TAL to act as one team to create impactful, behaviour-changing work.”

The new platform also reflects TAL’s effort to simplify how life insurance is communicated. The brand is now grouping products into two clear categories: Living Insurance - which includes Income Protection, Critical Illness and TPD benefits - and Life Insurance, which covers death and terminal illness.

“Australians want to feel in control of their future, yet life insurance can sometimes seem complex and easy to put off,” Homer said. “We’re focused on making every customer experience easier – giving people confidence with control. This means accessible products they understand, great service, and above all, genuine support and care when making a claim.”

TAL research shows that many younger Australians still see life insurance primarily as death cover, despite 74% of claims paid last financial year being Living Insurance benefits.

“We want to start a conversation with young people and people who may not think life insurance is for them,” Homer said. “When you think about losing the ability to earn an income, to pay your bills, or support your family, it’s clear this is a product of value.”