Source: Insurance Experts
Insurers have rapidly shifted their marketing approaches in recent years—from short-form dramas and celebrity endorsements to blind boxes, each campaign more eye-catching than the last.
On 9 1, New China Life Insurance launched its first short drama, "Double Heroines' Risky Journey," which tells the story of a top sales champion and a homemaker teaming up to turn things around. In recent years, insurers have rapidly shifted their marketing approaches—from producing short dramas and hiring celebrities to releasing blind boxes—each more eye-catching than the last.
Online channels are the most competitive space today. CPIC Life Insurance's micro-drama "Reborn: Sending My 18-Year-Old Self to a Retirement Community" takes a time-travel approach, featuring CPIC Home retirement communities within the storyline. The company also didn't miss out on full-length dramas; in the TV series "A Good Life," CPIC Life Insurance serves as the exclusive insurance partner. Ping An Property & Casualty's "The CEO's Superpowered Wife" goes even further—the story of a CEO going bankrupt repeatedly showcases the Ping An Auto app, which has accumulated over 1000 million views.
Some also skip traditional drama production. China Life launched a micro-series titled "Insurance Night Talk: Let's Go to Her House," featuring Li Jing, Ni Hongjie, and Zhang Quanling discussing health management, family responsibility, and financial planning. The three episodes garnered over 1765 million views, with topic discussions exceeding 1.9 billion reads. Even escape room-style mystery games weren't left out; in collaboration with Sina Finance, they introduced "Insurance Mystery Society," where plots revolve around insurance clauses and claims disputes.
The offline scene offers a different experience. On 2026, the first Hunan Province Fitness Dance City League kicked off in Changsha, with New China Life Insurance as the title sponsor. The event spans all 14 prefecture-level cities and municipalities across the province, with an expected participation of over 5000 teams.
At a sports event, CPIC renewed its partnership with the National Swimming Team; stars like Zhang Yufei and Pan Zhanle attended to witness the signing. As the CBA League's official principal sponsor, China Life showcased intangible cultural heritage performances—including Linping Rolling Lanterns and Bu Ma Dance—during halftime and invited migrant workers from other regions to attend games in person.
We didn't miss the music festival either. For two consecutive years, Zijin Insurance has protected the Midu Music Festival; this year, our service in Nanjing reached over 5 fans in 6. Last year, when "Su Chao" went viral nationwide, Zijin Insurance served as the official insurer, providing a comprehensive package of liability and accident insurance tailored for the league.
Beyond competitions and stages, gameplay has spawned entirely new formats. In 7 this year, Huabao Property Insurance co-hosted a stand-up comedy show in Shenzhen with a comedy brand titled "Laugh at Life with Our Coverage," where employees and comedians performed together, turning claims processes and anti-fraud knowledge into jokes. ZhongAn Insurance went even further, opening an educational pop-up store on the Bund in Shanghai in 2023, offering branded merchandise like "Financial Baguettes" and "Beware" folding fans.
Fraud awareness campaigns have even made their way into games. During 3·15, Ping An Life Insurance Shanxi Branch launched "Financial Risk Escape Room," an online challenge that immerses players in the tactics of illegal policy surrender agents and insurance fraud. China Life-Ocean Insurance produced educational short films using murder mystery scripts, skits, and animation, with two columns accumulating nearly 400 entries.
In the esports and gaming sectors, insurers both domestically and internationally are stepping in. Allianz, an Olympic Global Partner, joined this year's Esports World Cup sponsorship list; according to organizers, it marks the first time an insurance company has entered mainstream esports sponsorships. Ping An Property & Casualty set up a co-branded booth with Panzhi at ChinaJoy under the theme "Panzhi Trading, Peace of Mind Guaranteed." Earlier, Cathay Life partnered with Pokémon GO, turning 2500 branches, business centers, and ATMs into in-game supply stations and gyms—players could visit them while playing. PICC went even further: back in 2013, it issued its first virtual property insurance policy for online games, covering game equipment as insurable assets.
The most overlooked materials often have the widest reach. In wholesale markets, New Year calendars featuring Ping An, China Life, and Xinhua Insurance's exclusive designs, along with Horse Year wall hangings, sell for just a few yuan each. Ad-branded tissue boxes at roadside restaurants, bearing insurance company logos, cost over one yuan apiece. WeChat red envelope covers are no exception. Earlier this year, Xinhua Insurance released a limited-edition Horse Year cover themed "Horse Brings Auspiciousness." Even before that, a collaboration between China Life and Universal Beijing Resort for Spring Festival red envelopes won brand awards.
More sustainable than gimmicks is building an IP. In 9, Ruizhong Insurance launched the brand IP "Jing Baby" in Guangzhou, accompanied by the release of the "Seven Whales Companionship" series of cultural creative blind boxes. In 4, Changsheng Life introduced "Chang Xiaosheng." China Life's "Niu Benben" took office in 2023 and has since expanded its lineup with new members like "Niu Chengcheng" and "Xiao Fa Yang," forming the "China Life IP All-Star Team."
Insurance is a low-frequency purchase; brand visibility relies entirely on proactive effort. As 80s and 90s become the primary policyholders, insurers are targeting their hotspots—short dramas, sports courts, and living rooms—to build familiarity before diving into sales. At this pace, expect more innovations to follow.
