How Bupa’s marketing ‘reset’ drove a revenue boost
Based on an ethos of “energy, expertise and empathy”, Bupa Global’s marketing team went from service function to strategic leaders in the space of three years.
Three years ago, Bupa Global’s marketing team faced a period of significant change, with tighter budgets and evolving priorities.
Marketing was seen as a service function and cost line. Internally, the team lacked visibility, while externally there was an absence of clarity.
Determined to reframe marketing as a growth engine, the team developed a strategy focused on four key pillars: working faster and smarter, using insights to “deeply” understand customers, compelling messaging and teams fuelled with “energy, expertise and empathy”.
Aiming for a “cultural reset”, clear ownership, agile squads and cross-functional working became the norm. The marketing function was redesigned from scratch, creating 20 new roles across planning, strategy and digital product.
A new people plan focused on growth and wellbeing, including training and talks from expert speakers and career workshops. Upskilling was offered in customer journey mapping, commercial storytelling and strategic planning, while a push on progression saw 10% of marketers earn a promotion.
The team launched ‘We Can’, Bupa Global’s first unified global brand platform across 149 countries. The launch was supported by a revamped website and new look app experience, driving digital adoption up 20%. The brand moved from fragmented media buying to a single strategic partner and built a measurement framework aligned to the business goals.
The marketers also rebuilt capability across six global hubs, upgraded their martech and launched their first personalised onboarding journey, driving a 25% engagement uplift.
Since the reset, marketing ROI has increased 20% year on year and customers numbers have grown significantly, results which saw Bupa Global named the 2025 Marketing Week Awards Marketing Team of the Year.
