Sun Life has rebranded globally as Sunlife, merging its name into a single word and adopting a new logo and the tagline “Making life brighter.”
The Toronto-based insurer said the change reflects how far it has grown beyond its origins in life insurance into asset management, health, wealth and insurance. The new logo is a modernised, simplified version of its sun globe design, built for digital use.
The rebrand will roll out in phases across markets and businesses, starting with high-impact digital and client-facing channels. Sunlife said customers may see both the old and new branding during the transition.
“By bringing the strength of Sunlife together under one clear global identity, we create deeper relationships, serve more of our Clients’ needs and unlock new opportunities for growth,” said Kevin Strain, president and chief executive.
Asia is central to the group’s growth, and to the research it released alongside the rebrand. Six of the eight markets surveyed are in Asia: Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, all markets where Sunlife operates. Canada and the US make up the other two.
The survey found wide gaps between what people say matters and the plans they have in place. Across the eight markets, 61% said protecting against the costs of an unexpected illness or accident was very important, but only 33% had a full plan. Some 60% said securing their family’s future was very important, while 31% had a full plan.
The largest gap was in caregiving. Some 57% said being able to care for an ageing or sick family member was very important, but just 27% had a full plan. For retirement, 56% rated having a plan as very important and 31% had one.
More than half said managing their finances (52%) and health (51%) had become more complicated over the past five years. Some 65% said they wanted support that treats health, finances and protection together rather than separately.
Planning steps lagged further. While 53% believed they were on track to leave their family the financial support they wanted, only 37% had named beneficiaries on their accounts or insurance, 26% had a will, and 24% had met a financial adviser. Three-quarters (75%) said access to trustworthy financial planning advice would make them more confident about the future.
Earnscliffe conducted the 15-minute online survey for Sunlife from September 10 to 25, using panels from Leger and Prodege. The headline figures are averages across the eight markets, not population-weighted results.
The rebrand is mainly about consolidating one global identity. The research shows where Sunlife plans to compete: integrated advice across health, wealth and protection rather than standalone products.
For advisers and agents in the region, the caregiving gap is the most striking finding. In markets where family members often care for ageing parents, the gap between how much people value being able to provide that care and the protection they actually hold points directly to living benefits such as critical illness and long-term care cover.
The advice gap is just as clear. Only about a quarter of respondents had met a financial adviser, yet three in four said trusted advice would increase their confidence, which supports the case for advice-led distribution across the region.
In practical terms, advisers, agents and clients will start to see the new name and logo on Sunlife materials over the coming months.
