Case study : The Gironde Wildfires (France) — What if Emotion became one of the first tools for prevention?

The findings of this study will be presented alongside Yann Arnaud from MACIF in a special programme produced by L’Assurance en Mouvement and hosted by Jean-Luc Gambey.

The programme builds on the work of OSIRIS — the Observatory and Scores of Emotional Impacts related to Climate Risks and Claims — whose first edition highlighted an aspect that remains largely overlooked by the insurance industry: what customers truly feel and experience when a loss occurs.

Emoticonnect is already preparing the OSIRIS 2027 Barometer in collaboration with Vovoxx, with the aim of deepening this analysis and helping the insurance industry move from observation to tangible prevention.

Climate risk cannot be measured solely in terms of damage

During the Gironde wildfires in the summer of 2026, fear, anger and sadness accounted for 74.2% of the expressions analysed. Yet this may not be the most important finding.

What this emotional analysis reveals is a profound shift in what people expect from the insurance industry.

Citizens no longer simply expect compensation after a disaster. They want to understand the risk, know how to respond, receive guidance during the emergency and be supported until they can return to a normal life. In other words, they expect insurers to move from a claims-based approach to a model of continuous protection.

Identifying the crisis before it becomes a breakdown in trust

Fear prevails when information is lacking. Sadness emerges when people lose their homes and familiar surroundings. Anger grows when responsibilities, timelines or coverage appear unclear.

Each of these emotions contains actionable information that traditional indicators do not always reveal.

This is precisely where emotional intelligence becomes essential. It makes it possible to detect weak signals, understand when and where the customer journey begins to break down, and adapt the response before misunderstanding turns into distrust, a complaint or a reputational crisis.

Our conviction: tomorrow, insurers will no longer be able to manage climate-related events based solely on claim volumes, processing times and compensation amounts. They will also need to assess the emotional state of the people and communities they support.

Prevention is becoming the new moment of truth

The insurer’s role now begins long before a claim is filed.

Providing information about a property’s exposure, helping customers prepare essential documents, anticipating evacuation needs or facilitating access to immediate financial assistance can reduce damage while also preserving trust.

The study identifies several practical tools:

• a property-level risk exposure assessment;

• geolocated alerts and recommendations;

• support with vegetation clearance and risk-reduction measures;

• a secure photographic inventory of possessions and supporting documents;

• personalised seasonal reminders;

• an emergency pathway accessible without login credentials or documents;

• a priority communication channel activated during a crisis;

• pre-arranged solutions for temporary accommodation, emergency payments and continuity of service.

  
  

Emoticonnect is expanding its scope: from emotional intelligence to action

Our ambition no longer stops at analysing emotions and producing recommendations.

Emoticonnect is now expanding its activities to support insurers and businesses in designing, deploying and managing each of these prevention tools.

We can operate across the entire journey: assessing expectations, analysing written and spoken interactions, identifying weak signals, designing prevention programmes, integrating the emotional intelligence layer into existing environments, defining alerts, training teams and continuously measuring effectiveness.

This evolution is driven by a simple conviction: understanding emotions without transforming the customer experience is not enough.

The real value lies in translating this understanding into practical solutions that can be activated before, during and after a claim.

Emotional intelligence: the infrastructure of tomorrow’s insurance industry

As climate-related events intensify, prevention can no longer rely on generic communications issued once a year. It must become continuous, localised, personalised and evaluated according to what policyholders actually experience.

Insurers that understand emotions earlier can communicate more accurately, prioritise more effectively and intervene before trust breaks down.

This is why emotional intelligence is not simply an additional source of insight. It is becoming a strategic infrastructure for preserving the insurability of vulnerable regions, improving prevention and rebuilding lasting trust.

About Emoticonnect: Emoticonnect is a multimodal emotional intelligence layer that integrates into existing tools and environments. It analyses written and spoken interactions, detects weak signals and now supports organisations through to the operational implementation of prevention and customer-support solutions.