Several firms have launched marketing and advertising campaigns to highlight a resurgent interest from investors who want to protect their financial well-being with a firm they can rely on.
Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual was one of the first firms to identify this phenomenon as part of its 2022 Planning and Progress Study. The firm saw the opportunity to appeal to this interested group of investors and launched a comprehensive ad campaign to align with the start of the NFL season.
“There’s a real sense that the time is now,” said Tim Gerend, executive vice president and chief distribution officer at Northwestern Mutual. “People tend to think about financial planning as far off into the future, but because of Covid people decided that they weren’t going to wait some unknown time in the future.”
The campaign features investors taking action to participate in major life events such as taking a vacation or visiting family. It is that push that Northwestern is looking to promote and demonstrate how their financial advisors can help.
“The idea is to seize on this sentiment that people are having,” Gerend said. “And let them know that it is possible for them to live the life that they want and a great next step for them is to connect with an advisor who can help them put together a plan.”
The campaign launched with the start of the NFL season and featured ads throughout the first weekend of games, including those on the Peacock Network, and during Sunday Night Football. The firm is also running ads on digital platforms as well as social media platforms, including Instagram. The campaign will run through next year, at which time the firm will evaluate it and make any necessary changes, Gerend said.
Other firms are looking to tap into those clients who are considering a financial plan. San Fransico-based Wells Fargo & Company is encouraging its banking customers to take advantage of the financial advisors housed in the firm’s 4,600 branches.
The firm rolled out a new Premier program targeting investors with $250,000 to $10 million in combined assets. Premier is an effort to bundle all the services that Wells Fargo offers from banking to investing in one place.
“Our branches in the recent period have migrated from transaction centers to advice centers,” said Frank Barbieri, executive vice president and head of Wells Fargo Premier. “This gives our clients the ability to meet with not only the banker but the entire team.”
These clients will then have access to Wells Fargo’s entire brokerage network. The firm has also armed bankers and advisors with marketing tools to help clients, including a pitch flipbook that will highlight the value of Premier.