The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has launched its latest public awareness campaign with a new round of advertisements covering a variety of media sources, the board announced Monday.
The campaign this year will focus on a heterosexual couple, known as Cal and Val, because that is the ad that resonated with mass affluent investors in past years, the board said. In other years, since the campaign was begun in 2018, there also have been ads featuring a single woman and a lesbian couple. The campaign is based on research conducted by Heart + Mind Strategies.
Research by Heart + Mind showed that consumers who work with a CFP professional feel more confident, optimistic, secure and at ease with their financial planning, the board said. The ads focus on retirement planning, which is the top financial planning concern for many of those seeking advice.
“For 2021, as in most years, our primary advertising and communications efforts focus on the spring tax season, when finances are top of mind among most consumers,” the board said in a statement. Approximately $10 million was budgeted for the campaign.
The television ads will air from Monday through May 30 and will be on national cable television networks and broadcast networks, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Golf Channel, ESPN and Food Network. The ads include a 30 second spot and a 15 second spot. The ads also can be seen on the CFP website.
With the ongoing shift from cable to streaming video channels, which has been accelerated by the last year’s Covid-related media trends, the board decided to utilize platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Hulu and others.
Radio spots and sponsorship messages will air April 19 through May 28 on NPR shows such as "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," as well as NPR podcasts such as “Planet Money” and “How I Built This.”
Online banner ads and online videos will be seen on websites where consumers get news and information about current events, finances, sports and entertainment through the prime campaign period. Paid search engine marketing of Google and Bing, which is always active, will be increased during the campaign period.
Organic social content will be ongoing on the board’s Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. Paid social media advertising during the campaign period will include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
“All of the campaign's advertisements and communications lead to our consumer website, LetsMakeAPlan.org, where consumers can find financial planning information based on where they are in life, and they can search for and contact a CFP professional,” the board said.
“The website was redesigned and relaunched in December of 2020 and includes updated content and a modernized interface with a mobile friendly design to improve user experience, educate consumers on financial planning concepts and provide resources to find and evaluate CFP professionals,” the statement continued.