“Our new brand builds on our heritage and is modern, dynamic and, most importantly, engaging for all of our client and customer channels.” So said Standard Life Aberdeen chief executive Stephen Bird in April when Wolff Olins revealed the investment giant’s “Abrdn” rebrand, claiming it was the “next stage in the reshaping of the business”.
Fast forward seven months and here comes the first work from Iris, a business that is no stranger to the odd rebrand itself. Appointed back in July, the agency was briefed to create a global launch strategy and positioning in the UK and markets around the world.
The resultant campaign, under the strapline The Power of Investment, sets out to reframe investment as a force for good as well as reflecting the simplification of the business with more ways to help people plan, save and invest for their future.
Tapping into Abrdn research that found more than half of people (54%) believe investing their money can have a positive impact on society, the campaign aims to change perceptions of investment from a pursuit that is only about financial return, to a power for positive change.
In the 60” spot we meet real life Sol and his dad, Ben, and we witness how the progress made by investment in the field of robotics can lead to advancements in prosthetics technology that can allow someone like Ben to create a fully functioning prosthetic arm for his son.
Not only was the prosthetic arm made for Sol, but thanks to the technological progress made in these industries, Ben now makes them for children around the world. This kind of investment gives people the ability to improve their future while also improving the future for others, highlighting that creating a positive ripple of progress can travel far further than our individual reach. [Apparently, they aren’t all greedy bankers with their snouts in the trough.]
Abrdn has engaged in industry leading ESG research, promotes hundreds of sustainable funds and offers savings products from as little as £1.
The integrated campaign is set to run across TV, OOH, radio, press, digital advertising, social and PR.
Abrdn chief brand, marketing and corporate affairs officer Stephen Whitehead seems content enough with the campaign. He said: “We want to show people that they have the power to create a better future for themselves and society through investment, and that they can do so in a way that suits their personal beliefs, objectives and financial means.
“The Power of Investment also represents what we want to achieve as Abrdn. Our name change brought five brands together with a renewed sense of purpose. We are future-focused and committed to giving our clients and the next generation the tools and support they need to achieve their ambitions.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
At last, a campaign from an investment company that actually shows where the money is being invested, and the end result, too, rather than nonsense like Goldman Sachs’ recent “You can money” or Barclays’ “Wealth: What’s It To You?”
If we had a spare £1, we might even invest it, too. Mind you, not all Abrdn’s investments are sound; that rebrand no doubt cost a pretty penny and all it got out of it was ridicule that it looked more like a typo than a “modern, dynamic and, most importantly, engaging” brand.
Still, as Wolff Olins might say “Gd Wrk Flls”…
Decision Marketing Adometer: A “you see, we can be nice sometimes” 8 out of 10
