According to ICMIF member Achmea (Netherlands), we all like to talk about what needs to change: that we want to do something for each other and for our planet. More vegetarian food. Take the train more often. No more texting while driving. Lending a hand and volunteering at school, in a nursing home or refugee shelter. But these words lose meaning if people don’t do anything. To draw attention to this and to encourage people to actually do some of these things, Achmea has launched the ‘Go for something‘ campaign.

“At Achmea, we are committed to sustainable living together,” says Marjanne Mulder, Senior Brand Manager at Achmea. “Based on this vision, we contribute to solving social issues. We can only do this together with others: customers, partners, relations and employees. Together you can really achieve something. If we all do more and talk less, we will make more impact. That is why we put the phenomenon ‘Bla bla bla’ on the agenda and we want to inspire and motivate the Netherlands not only to talk about good intentions but also to actually do something. After the ‘fireworks’ and ‘squatters’ (homes for the elderly) campaigns, ‘Bla bla bla‘ is the third campaign in our series Living together according to Achmea.”

Easier said than done

When launching the campaign, Achmea highlighted the fact that things that people say they want to do are often easier said than done, also known as the intention–behaviour gap. About 50% of our intended good intentions we don’t keep up or we don’t start at all*. The lack of positive support usually makes it difficult to take the step to go all out for something. Setting clear goals and motivating and inspiring each other helps. For example, Achmea says it has ‘just’ started and the cooperative insurer is aiming for fewer traffic casualties, healthier employees and more sustainable homes, among other things.

Marjanne Mulder said: “So we don’t claim that we already have it all figured out. And that’s okay too. Impact starts when you go for something. In this way, we want to inspire people and organisations to get moving and we encourage each other to go from talking about our good intentions to actually doing it.”

From Bla bla bla to Ga ga ga

The campaign starts with a commercial in which recognisable everyday situations can be seen and the call is made to “go for something”. Marjanne Mulder explained: “From now on, we will make ourselves heard, focusing on what Achmea is going for and how we will implement this. And that contagious mentality goes beyond just this campaign. You can go for something on your own or with us as a partner, customer or employee. The campaign can be seen on TV and online from Tuesday 2 April, immediately followed by an employer branding campaign. It shows what the Ga ga ga [Go go go in English] mentality is and how you can work on social themes at Achmea. In our labour market communication, we also explicitly invite people to go for something with us.”

Watch the commercial here.

* Netherlands Institute for Personal Development. (2023). What is the intention-behavior gap? Why is it there? And how do you help people overcome this gap? Source: https://www.gedragsveranderaar.nl/intentie-gedrag-kloof