Brand Challenge: Hatching an Ad Series
Motivated by it excellent personal service, the Berg-Salus Wealth Management Group decided to distinguish its wealth advisor group from the larger financial institution of which it was a part. Because “people buy from people whom they know and trust,” investors were not choosing the larger brand when they were looking for financial advisors. Management was ready to develop its own personal brand identity starting with a series of ads targeted to wealthy investors who were seeking retirement income.
Obstacles:
• Advertising is limited by restrictive compliance, brand / corporate guidelines, plus the conservative nature of the financial industry.
• All ads had to be approved by parent company.
• Ads had to be attractive and comply with stringent regulations.
The first set of layout ideas did not pass the parent company’s watch dogs and was rejected. Compliance managers didn’t approve certain elements, such as logos, fonts, headlines, or images.
Solutions:
• N-K decided to brand the ad campaign around the individual broker, as opposed to the parent company. This enabled us to use graphics, fonts, and layouts that were previously unacceptable under the parent-company guidelines.
• We chose apples, a chicken, and chicken soup that were not usually associated with investment to capture greater attention.
• We chose images that would be noticed by our older and affluent target audience.
Ad placement:
We rotated a series of ads in a niche-market newspaper over a six-month period.
Outcome:
Berg-Salus brand recognition continues to build. Personalizing its ads is a strategic way to think about each financial manager as an individual and distinguishes him or her from the thousands of other brokers who work for large investment firms.
Ideas are hatching at N-K. We are up for the creative challenge and ready to help you with advertising and design solutions.
