Our first assignment as the new advertising partner of Insular Life was not about advertising at all.

Last January 13 2012, we were invited to their annual National Leaders’ Assembly to talk as the voice of the consumer and to inspire their sales force by presenting Insular Life’s new credo.

Their event’s theme—the military. So we came in our cargo pants, white shirts and dog tags.

We were in awe as we saw all the heads of Insular Life and all 200 members of the sales force dressed to fit the theme. It was such a well put together program that they themselves organized. They were all in full gear, ready to face the sales challenges of the year to come.

As we waited our turn on the stage, we got a glimpse of their culture. We were ever so thankful at how we were treated as more than just partners—but as a part of the Insular Life Family.

We took the stage and gave our humble 10-minute presentation. They all listened to us intently and we watched as their faces lit up when we revealed the Insular Life credo.

A number of people approached us, asking us what department we were part of, who we were and telling us how much they liked our presentation. One of their regional sales heads even followed us to the parking area to tell us how inspired he was. We were explaining how we were the new advertising agency. But at that point, it didn’t feel like it even mattered what our official role or title was. We were just glad to be part of it all.

It was indeed, the perfect start to 2012, the perfect start of a good relationship.