Association Leadership, Defined
October 5, 2010 by Peter van Aartrijk · 1 Comment
Peter van Aartrijk and the late Akio Takahashi at a Big 'I' Japan convention in Tokyo.
This is a blog entry I should have written more than a year ago. Perhaps I’ve been in denial about losing such a good friend.
The photo here is me with the late Akio Takahashi. In the last several years, I’ve had the honor of talking about the U.S. Independent Agency System at seminars coordinated by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Japan. This was taken at IIABJ’s second annual convention in Tokyo, held June 2008 in a conference room of Kyoei Fire & Marine Insurance Co.
Takahashi was IIABJ’s first president. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He chaired a strong, multi-faceted brokerage, World Service Corp., based in Osaka. In all of these capacities, he was a true leader.
Takahashi died on April 5, 2009. I received the following note from his staff, which said in part: “Mr. Takahashi visited Europe and Asia in February and March, and he was looking forward to attend the IIABA meeting in U.S.A. this month. His sudden departure saddens us greatly, but we will continue to uphold his dream of changing the Japanese insurance business. We thank you for your friendship during his lifetime, and look forward to your continued friendship to his family and World Insurance Group.” Read more
Guest Blogger Pat Alexander, InsuranceEcoSystem.com Founder: ‘Brand and Message Are Inseparable’
July 26, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Pat Alexander, founder of InsuranceEcosystem.com
The Aartrijk team is pleased to welcome — for the first time — guest bloggers from in and around the insurance industry, starting this month.
To kick off this occasional series, we welcome Pat Alexander, founder of industry blog InsuranceEcosystem.com and a Brand Camp 2009 alumna.
About Pat: In 2009, she launched InsuranceEcosystem.com as a resource for the insurance industry and a way to spark more conversation about her areas of expertise in independent agencies, coaching and technology. She describes Insurance Ecosystem as a blog that “provide[s] you with communicators that don’t normally blog but have great views and information to share. Each of these individuals … [has] so much to contribute in their area of expertise.”
1. What has happened in the past year with your firm now in the area of branding? What changes or initiatives have you been working on?
After Aartrijk Brand Camp 2009, I developed a plan to redesign my primary Web site, PatAlexander.com, and give it a fresh look and to develop a blog where individuals of interest to insurance agents could blog regularly or at their whim. Developing this blog included developing a brand for it as well as an audience.
Real Lessons from Real Time
June 25, 2010 by Dave Willis · 2 Comments
By David Willis
Three years ago, when the Real Time/Download Campaign launched, Aartrijk staffers, in our Campaign communication leadership roles, fielded a range of Campaign Web site visitor queries, such as: “How much is this Real Time software you’re selling?” and “Where can I buy your Real Time product?” We’d explain that we weren’t selling anything and that Real Time was actually available in existing agency systems.
Today, we rarely get such questions. Most property and casualty insurance professionals understand that Real Time is a workflow—it’s the ability to click on a button from a client file in an agency management system or comparative rater and get immediate access to carrier info on that client. They recognize Eddie, the Campaign’s mascot, as a the friend of improved workflows and profitability. And they know how to access Real Time in their systems.