AXA and CSS top the 2026 media reputation ranking
AXA has the best media reputation among the major insurance companies in Switzerland, while CSS tops the list of health insurers for the first time. These are the findings of a new study by Swissreputation.group in collaboration with Pressrelations Switzerland, which used AI to analyze 12 insurance companies and 12 health insurers.
The merger of Helvetia and Baloise dominated the insurance media in 2025. However, AXA was best able to combine high visibility with good tonality and thematic presence in the six reputation dimensions and achieved the top spot in terms of media reputation. It was followed by Swiss Life and Zurich, which already took 3rd place in the previous year.
Helvetia, AXA and Vaudoise with top ratings
The merger of Helvetia and Baloise gave these two companies the largest presence in the Swiss media in 2025. Swiss Life follows in third place. Vaudoise, Pax and Die Mobiliar achieved the best tonality scores in the insurance sector. On balance, the media reported most positively on these three companies.
CSS takes the lead in health insurance
CSS, Helsana and Visana were not only the health insurers with the greatest presence in 2025, they also had the best media reputation. These three companies were particularly successful in combining reputation-relevant topics, high reach and positive tonality to achieve the greatest media impact. Three other companies were at the top of the tonality rankings: ÖKK, Concordia and Swica were the three health insurance companies that received the most positive coverage in the Swiss media.
Tonality and presence in the reputation dimensions
"Innovation" and "ESG & Sustainability" are the two dimensions with the best tonality for both insurance companies and health insurers. However, they also have the lowest media presence and therefore only make a small contribution to a good media reputation. Employer topics ("Workplace") have the lowest tonality values in both categories: negative for insurance companies, neutral for health insurance companies.
Insurance companies and health insurance companies are most frequently present in the media on product and service topics, with a very high share of 50 percent for health insurance companies. Among insurance companies, media reports in 2025 on the topics of "Innovation", "Management & Leadership" and "ESG & Sustainability" were more positive than in the previous year. On the other hand, the tone for "Products & Services", "Economic Performance" and "Workplace" declined. The decline in "Workplace" was particularly large, with the balance in negative territory.
For health insurance companies, the tone of media reports in 2025 was more positive for all topics than in 2024, with the exception of "innovation". However, the values in this dimension are still at a very high level. For "Workplace", the tone was negative in the previous year and neutral in the current year.
Media reputation gains strategic importance
An intact media reputation is considered a key success factor in the insurance industry. It not only influences customer trust, but also has an impact on employees, investors, political conditions and public perception. In times of increasing digital transparency, regulatory requirements and ESG expectations, media coverage is becoming even more relevant.
In addition, a good media reputation takes on a new strategic importance: AI tools such as ChatGPT give journalistic sources a particularly high weighting when information about companies is requested. Positive or negative media reports therefore also directly influence AI-supported information queries.
The study used AI to analyze 12 insurance companies and 12 health insurance companies with regard to their reputation in Swiss media sources in 2025. Detailed results with the results of the individual insurance companies and health insurance companies are available in individually prepared and commented study reports for a fee.
