The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has unveiled a new public awareness campaign about CFP-certified advisors that will include prime-time television commercials.

The new campaign, called "Let's Make a Plan," featured television spots, print advertisements and online banner ads, all aimed at raising public awareness about the significance of CFP Board certification. The CFP Board of Directors approved the four-year, $36 million campaign in November 2010. The announcement came along with news the CFP Board would be increasing annual fees from $145 per year, to $325 to help pay for theĀ  campaign. Some CFP licensees view the fee hike as excessive.

Specifically, the campaign will target mass affluent households with investable assets of between $100,000 and $1 million, which the CFP Board says represents about 9% of the U.S. adult population.

The CFP Board television spot, which is scheduled to begin airing Monday (it can be viewed here), features a driver struggling to maintain control of his steering wheel while insurance, taxes, retirement and a throng of other financial issues try to force the car off course. The ending message is that a CFP Board certified professional can help you stay on course with your financial goals. The CFP Board said the 30-second television spot will air during prime-time programming on the History Channel, Travel Channel, HGTV, ESPN, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News.

The print campaign will target leading consumer financial titles such as Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Barron's and the Wall Street Journal.

The CFP Board has also put a lot of focus into Web advertising, announcing two online, interactive banner ads. The board has also launched a public service Web site, www.letsmakeaplan.org, which provides information about CFP certified financial professionals and a search tool for finding local CFPs.

The CFP Board also unveiled a brand new CFP mark, which features a gold bar with CFP stamped into it in block letters.

"The CFP mark truly serves as the gold standard for personal financial planning," said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller. "Just about anyone can use the term 'financial planner.' But only those individuals who have passed a rigorous set of criteria and meet our strict ethical qualifications can call themselves a CFP professional."