A brand is a valued promise that a product or a service makes to its most important external and internal audiences. External audiences view the brand as the best and sometimes the only solution to a problem they have. Internal audiences must believe that the brand promise is worthy of their commitment. And all audiences must understand the brand and view it as important, credible and distinctive.

Associations
These creative concepts are to be determined as the brand evolves and new opportunities arise for translating our brand promise.

Mission
Actuaries use deep knowledge of the dynamics of risk and its financial impact to create social and economic value. Actuaries use their skill sets to provide valuable contributions to financial economics and risk practice. During participant interviews, we heard that one of the constants in successful organizations today is that they have at their disposal access to highly trained professionals who are masters of their relevant domains. “Deep domain knowledge” implies that actuaries occupy this space; they can and should be trusted to lead decision makers through a maze of complex financial risk problems to arrive at more effective decisions. “Social and economic value” applies to their unique ability to create solutions not only to financial and business problems but societal issues as well.

Personality
The actuary brand possesses human-like characteristics that make it distinct and special. Actuaries are ethical, intelligent, unbiased, creative and inquisitive people.

The actuary is an ethical, intelligent, unbiased and inquisitive male or female. He or she is creative, communicative and motivated by challenge. He or she has a strong analytical background, enjoys debates and complex ideas and is undaunted by rigorous training. He or she is well-rounded, public-minded and has a strong work ethic. As a practitioner, he or she is accomplished and well respected. As a person, he or she enjoys art, music, literature and puzzles.

This description is in contrast to the actuary stereotype which is commonly described as “a backroom technician.” The actuary brand personality is more dynamic, more business savvy and more likely to have left the backroom for a seat in the conference room or boardroom. These personality traits help drive emotional relationships and build esteem and loyalty to the brand. They are conveyed via tone and manner, look and feel, and visual and verbal identity.

Positioning
Actuaries bring a complex future into focus by applying unique insight to risk and opportunity. Known for their comprehensive approach, actuaries enable smart, more confident decisions.

Principle
Actuaries possess the unique ability to anticipate, identify, quantify and optimize risk to bring about creative solutions to complex financial challenges facing business and society.

We heard that actuaries' unique value proposition is their understanding of the relationship between risk and reward coupled with their ability to implement creative solutions that help key stakeholders achieve their financial objectives. The combination of thought leadership and implementation is the driving force behind the brand.

Story
Actuaries are integral to the success of the enterprise, applying rigorous training, high professional standards and a deep understanding of the relationship between risk and opportunity.

Target audiences repeatedly told us that rigorous training and professionalism are what the actuary brand stands for. Other professions can legitimately claim strong analytical skills and risk expertise, but only actuaries can claim a rich heritage rooted in the highest professional standards and the most difficult professional exams in the world. This is the consistently used oral narrative that summarizes the essence of the brand. It's what the brand stands for, what employers and clients demand and what competitors wish they could claim.

Values
Actuaries believe in five core values that collectively define their business and social ethics: Insight, Integrity, Creativity, Professionalism and Public Interest.

To be successful in their domain, we learned that actuaries have certain cherished beliefs that guide their behaviors professionally and socially. Collectively, they value:

Insight
In the world of risk management, the rules of the game change so quickly that insight becomes currency. To be perceived as a key player, actuaries value the ability to anticipate risks before they are clearly known or articulated.

Integrity
Already an important part of the profession's legacy, integrity suggests an honest, ethical approach to business, a commitment to the profession's code of conduct and a deep respect for the scientific truth.

Creativity
As social structures and business environments change, out-of-the-box becomes a key differentiator. Actuaries value the ability to sustain a competitive advantage through fresh, creative approaches to problem solving.

Professionalism
Actuaries have much to be proud of—risk expertise and problem solving skills—yet the most respected asset they value is professionalism.

Public Interest
Actuaries have the capacity to influence the overarching social systems that drive the marketplace and ultimately impact people's most basic needs for security. Today, the ability to help employers build shareholder value while serving the public interest is a powerful and unique skill set.

Vision
Actuaries will be recognized as the leading professionals in risk management.