How Ogilvy helped Zurich Insurance explore the role of empathy in customer experience

Challenge

Zurich Insurance wanted to understand how empathy and emotional intelligence influence customer experience and brand preference. As part of a broader effort to embed empathy into its evolving customer strategy, Zurich needed robust, cross-market evidence on how empathy affects consumer-decision making in the insurance sector. The key challenge was to design and execute a large-scale, multi-market study that would deliver consistent, actionable findings across 11 countries.

Solution

YouGov designed a global Custom Research programme spanning 11 markets and 11,500 consumers, leveraging its proprietary online panel and local research expertise. The study explored how empathy shapes customer expectations, how often consumers experience it from the brands they use, and how it influences trust, satisfaction and choice. Results were delivered at both global and market level, allowing Zurich to compare patterns and identify cultural nuances. The data revealed clear gaps between consumer expectations and perceived empathy across sectors, highlighting where insurers could differentiate by demonstrating genuine understanding.

Business outcomes

YouGov’s research provided Zurich with a robust, data-driven view of empathy as a key factor shaping customer experience and brand consideration. The study quantified the “empathy gap” between consumer expectations and reality, showing how understanding and care influence loyalty and choice. These insights provided the foundation for Zurich’s public Empathy Report and an accompanying international media campaign, featured on BBC World News and leading business podcasts, reinforcing empathy’s role as a competitive edge and guiding Zurich’s continued focus on human connection in business.

Customer testimonial