How InLife’s KOL Strategy Made Insurance Reach Gen Zs on TikTok and Instagram
Insurance isn’t usually a scroll-stopper, but InLife’s TikTok campaign proved otherwise. Near turned a traditionally serious category into something approachable, entertaining, and emotionally resonant which sparked a wave of engagement and surpassing all performance benchmarks by wide margins among Gen Zs.
InLife: Building a financially protected future for every Filipino
As the first and largest Filipino-owned life insurance company, Insular Life (InLife) has been protecting generations of Filipino families for over 110 years. Today, while its legacy and credibility remain, the brand is focused on reaching a younger audience, one that values flexibility, transparency, and financial literacy. InLife’s rebrand in 2018 marked a bold shift toward making insurance more relevant for Gen Z and young professionals without losing the trust of its loyal base.
How do you market insurance to a generation that thinks it’s not for them?
While Gen Zs are curious about financial health, insurance often feels overwhelming, intimidating, or just… irrelevant. InLife needed to break that perception by showing that insurance isn't just for older adults, but it’s also for any young Filipino who wants to protect their income, health, and future. The goal was to enter TikTok culture meaningfully and get Gen Z to see InLife as a financial partner that gets them.
Near made ‘money talks’ scroll-stopping, not stress-inducing.
Instead of pushing insurance plans, we crafted a TikTok-native strategy grounded in storytelling, humor, and emotional connection. We worked with influencers who could translate real-life money concerns into content that was both useful and entertaining because let’s face it: if Gen Z is going to engage with an insurance brand, it has to feel natural, relatable, and worth watching.
To tackle InLife’s challenge and break through a traditionally intimidating category, Near anchored the campaign on three strategies:
1. From policy pitches to personal stories
We collaborated with a mix of mid-tier and macro KOLs, assigning each a content peg that fit their niche: from finance skits to beauty content with a money twist. “Money Mistakes” emerged as the breakout format, proving that humor + relatability is a winning combo. Top performers like Sofia Baroud (620K views) and Chico Cruz (601K views) made conversations about budgeting and spending feel personal, not preachy. Meanwhile, Erika Rabara’s post stood out for its authenticity. She wasn’t just a content creator, she was a real InLife policyholder. Her story resonated with audiences and added a layer of credibility that helped shift perceptions about the brand.
2. Tapping TikTok’s rhythm and Instagram Reels’ reach
Across the campaign, we delivered 149 content pieces tailored to each creator’s platform strength. TikTok was used to scale awareness, driving 3.6M reach while Instagram Reels became the space for deeper engagement, peaking at 3.68% engagement rate. Our strategy didn’t stop at content production. We managed the whole campaign end-to-end, from creator selection and briefing to client alignment, optimization, and troubleshooting. Even when one collaboration hit a bump, the client stayed reassured because the rest of the campaign was smooth, high-performing, and backed by strategic thinking. But what truly set us apart was how we partnered with InLife to navigate a complex category with confidence. We did not just execute a campaign for them, we collaborated with them to help the brand shift its tone, balance compliance with creativity, and push for content that felt authentic without losing clarity to their prospect customers.
Featured KOL: @Doc Jerry Cua (top left)
3. Turning a tricky category into a trust-building campaign
We didn’t just deliver content, we helped people, especially the younger gen, rethink how insurance could show up online. From briefing creators on tone to pushing back on content edits that would feel too “salesy,” we championed authenticity over control. The result? A campaign that exceeded KPIs while teaching the brand how to navigate creator collaboration in a way that’s both strategic and respectful of voice. In the client’s words, we handled all the “nitty gritty” and turned complexity into simplicity.
Near’s takeaways on how to make THE money talk to Gen Z
Choose creators for “fit”, not just follower count: Bonus if you can tap real users for deeper trust! The best-performing content came from mid-tier KOLs whose tone and audience matched the message of InLife. Instead of chasing reach alone, we focused on alignment and it paid off with the rest of the metrics such as views and engagements. For brands in complex or trust-heavy categories, leveraging your own users as creators can blur the line between UGC and KOL, showing both authenticity and influence.
Lead with real stories not just the product push: Engagement was strongest when creators shared money mistakes, lessons, or personal finance journeys. These emotional touchpoints made insurance feel relevant and relatable, not removed.
Let the influencers be human then guide with strategy: Instead of scripting everything, we empowered creators to speak in their own voice about the brand while staying aligned with InLife’s message. The result was content that felt native to their feeds, yet still brand-driven.
