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 modernized, 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.
Sunlife released global research alongside the rebrand, setting out the business case. The survey of adults in Canada, the US, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore 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. Sixty percent 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 aging 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. Sixty-five percent (65%) said they wanted support that treats health, finances and protection together rather than separately.
Planning steps lagged further still. 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 with a financial advisor. 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 Canadian sample was 1,599 adults. 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 advisors, the findings support the case for advice. Only about a quarter of respondents had met an advisor, yet three in four said trusted advice would increase their confidence. The caregiving gap is especially relevant for living benefits such as critical illness and long-term care cover, which are designed for exactly the scenario respondents feel least prepared for.
In practical terms, advisors and clients will start to see the new name and logo on Sunlife materials over the coming months.
