As anticipation builds for the 2025 Australian Mortgage Awards (AMAs), Australian Broker is spotlighting standout winners, both individuals and firms, from years past to uncover the strategies behind their success. One such winner is Helia, Australia's largest provider of mortgage insurance.
The firm clinched the 2024 AMA "SPRNT (LBH) Best Industry Marketing Campaign" award. Helia’s winning edge came down to its bold, insight-driven approach to industry marketing, thanks in part to its “Better, Sooner, Brighter” campaign, which challenged long-standing misconceptions about lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), by reframing it as a strategic tool that empowers home buyers – not just a cost to be explained.
Grounded in research and shaped by broker feedback, the campaign used storytelling and real-world scenarios to show how LMI could help Australians enter the property market faster and build wealth sooner. By combining education, tailored tools and an audience-first mindset, Helia not only elevated its brand – it redefined how LMI is communicated across the mortgage industry.
Australian Broker sat down with Sydney-based Dimi Bartolillo, Helia’s head of marketing and brand, to get the inside scoop on the firm’s award-winning campaign, the creative force behind it, and her top tips for success in the competitive mortgage industry.
The following interview has been edited for grammar and clarity.
DB: I've spent over 20 years in strategic marketing roles, primarily in financial services and insurance with a focus on simplifying complex propositions and creating human-centred campaigns that connect with both intermediaries and end customers. At Helia, I lead a small and talented team focused on repositioning lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) in the heart and minds of mortgage brokers and lenders who are helping more Australians into home ownership sooner.
Helia is a LMI provider, with almost 60 years of expertise, which exists to support home buyers into homes sooner. Since 2010, we have helped almost 1.2 million Australians achieve home ownership. We partner with lenders, brokers and industry and we're known for our deep market insights, innovative solutions and our focus on creating a more accessible, inclusive property market. Our purpose – to accelerate financial wellbeing through home ownership – drives everything we do.
DB: Helia’s success lies in our customer-first mindset. Whether it's brokers, lenders or home buyers, we tailor our approach to meet their needs, challenges and aspirations. Our "Better, Sooner, Brighter" campaign stood out because it challenged misconceptions about LMI and reframed it as an enabler – not a fee – a solution that helps people buy sooner, buy better and build brighter futures.
DB: Our approach was grounded in insight. We conducted research with brokers and buyers, and it revealed a confidence gap – especially when it came to explaining LMI’s value. We knew we had to shift the focus from cost to outcome.
The objective of the "Better, Sooner, Brighter" video is to illustrate the tangible benefits of LMI and how it can help aspiring home buyers get into a home sooner. The campaign compares the experiences of two couples with the same deposit amount. Through this comparison, the video aims to demonstrate how LMI can empower home buyers to enter the property market sooner, achieve their home ownership goals and enjoy a brighter financial future.
The video starts with the couple who strategically leverage LMI and secure a larger loan amount to acquire a better property (subject to their lender’s approval). Fast-forward four years, and both homes have risen in value (based on a desktop valuation), but the bigger home saw a larger dollar increase, larger than the initial LMI fee paid. This video illustrates how a well-informed decision by home buyers, guided by a trusted mortgage broker, can significantly support home ownership. Often home buyers delay buying their home, believing that they may be better off waiting and saving a bigger deposit. But LMI can support wealth creation.
By highlighting the positive impact of LMI, the video seeks to educate and influence aspiring home buyers and mortgage brokers about the value and benefits of LMI.
DB: Start with your audience. Recognition follows when you solve a genuine problem in a fresh and relevant way. In our case, many brokers were not confident how to position LMI. We provided them clarity, confidence through our education, tools, resources and content. The magic happens when value creation is there for the audience.
DB: Recognizing brokers' vital role, we partnered with the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) to explore their views on LMI. The research revealed a clear knowledge gap – despite LMI helping buyers purchase sooner, cost concerns and client misconceptions often hold brokers back.
To address this, Helia launched the first-ever Broker LMI Sentiment Index, tracking broker confidence across six key areas. Informed by real-time feedback, the index is shaping our broker education strategy and tools.
Our findings also showed a need for more accessible, engaging education. In response, we expanded our Continuing Professional Development-accredited LMI fundamentals webinar series, offering practical insights into how LMI supports buyers. We added new sessions that explore important topics in more detail like refunds, top-ups and managing hardship.
