End: Reassure Fearful Investors
The Success Story: Address fear head on. These messages kept it straight with investors, acknowledging their anxiety and clearly explaining the dollar-cost-averaging benefits of a long-term strategy.
Means: Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Investor Marketing
The Back Story: Volatile markets intimidate everyday investors. How could I reassure shareholders in our brand and reaffirm the benefits of long-term investing?
The Success Story: Address fear head on. These messages kept it straight with investors, acknowledging their anxiety and clearly explaining the dollar-cost-averaging benefits of a long-term strategy.
End: Update Financial Advisors on IRA Sales Strategies
Means: Monthly Newsletter
For: OppenheimerFunds IRA
The Back Story: Our goal is to provide financial advisors with the tools and information they need to sell our products. How could I make our monthly IRA newsletter engaging and informative?
The Success Story: Explore a theme. In every issue of our IRA newsletter, I dug deep into a single sales strategy, providing comprehensive information and a cohesive story each month.
End: Promote an Easy Way to Choose Retirement Investments
Means: Targeted Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Retirement Services
The Back Story: Recessions build fears about retirement. How could I spread the word that OppenheimerFunds offers a simple tool to help investors choose the right mix of investments for their retirement portfolio?
The Success Story: I tapped into people's concerns over "the temperature of their retirement portfolio" with the Goldilocks concept (above), and addressed fears over the safety of their savings with the balancing piggy bank concept (below). Both were engaging mailers explaining the importance of choosing the right retirement investments with the help of Navigator, OppenheimerFunds' innovative asset allocation tool.
Means: Targeted Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Retirement Services
The Back Story: Recessions build fears about retirement. How could I spread the word that OppenheimerFunds offers a simple tool to help investors choose the right mix of investments for their retirement portfolio?
The Success Story: I tapped into people's concerns over "the temperature of their retirement portfolio" with the Goldilocks concept (above), and addressed fears over the safety of their savings with the balancing piggy bank concept (below). Both were engaging mailers explaining the importance of choosing the right retirement investments with the help of Navigator, OppenheimerFunds' innovative asset allocation tool.
End: Reengage Timid Investors in the Market
Means: An Interactive Web Experience
For: OppenheimerFunds Investor Services
Means: An Interactive Web Experience
For: OppenheimerFunds Investor Services
The Back Story: The global economic meltdown caused a wave of emotional meltdowns. How could I get investors to actively address their feelings, reassess their saving strategy and test the waters again?
The Success Story: Being told to move forward is nowhere near as useful as doing it yourself. That's why we created "The Next Step," an educational, interactive tool to help people reflect, re-examine and restructure their investments. It won a 2009 Star Award from the Mutual Fund Educational Alliance for Best Multi-Media Campaign.
End: Prepare Financial Advisors for 403(b) Season
Means: Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Retirement Services
The Back Story: 403(b) retirement plans mostly serve educational institutions, so each year we turn 403(b) season into "Back-to-School" season. How could I prepare financial advisors to sell 403(b)s while making this season stand out?
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The Success Story: Pencils! This iconic symbol of school and education was the perfect image to build this campaign around. Using the words "Sharp" and "Bright" elevated ideas of intelligence and opportunity (above), and playing with #2 pencils added some levity (below). These creative elements drew financial professionals in as I provided the nitty-gritty information to help them build their 403(b) business.
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Means: Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Retirement Services
The Back Story: 403(b) retirement plans mostly serve educational institutions, so each year we turn 403(b) season into "Back-to-School" season. How could I prepare financial advisors to sell 403(b)s while making this season stand out?
.bmp)
The Success Story: Pencils! This iconic symbol of school and education was the perfect image to build this campaign around. Using the words "Sharp" and "Bright" elevated ideas of intelligence and opportunity (above), and playing with #2 pencils added some levity (below). These creative elements drew financial professionals in as I provided the nitty-gritty information to help them build their 403(b) business.
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*final art pending
End: Send Relevant, Engaging Updates to a Mass Audience
Means: Email
For: OppenheimerFunds Online
The Back Story: With so many upates to our site, we have to spread the word. How could I engage our audiences, drive them to the web and not make our emails feel like spam?
The Success Story: Give them streamlined content, benefit-driven headlines and messages that target their needs. Through various email blasts and e-newsletters I was able to boost the click-throughs on our site.
Means: Email
For: OppenheimerFunds Online
The Back Story: With so many upates to our site, we have to spread the word. How could I engage our audiences, drive them to the web and not make our emails feel like spam?
The Success Story: Give them streamlined content, benefit-driven headlines and messages that target their needs. Through various email blasts and e-newsletters I was able to boost the click-throughs on our site.
End: Create Brand Identity for New IT Staffing Site
Means: Brand Development, Web Content Development
For: 24 Seven Staffing
The Back Story: 24 Seven was ready to expand their recruiting efforts into the IT staffing space. How could I tailor the voice of 24 Seven for a new audience, ensuring that they remained modern and fun?
The Success Story: It was time to move Fwd:. Intense rounds of brainstorming and tweaking resulted in http://www.fwdstaffing.com/, a progressive and inspired face to put Fwd: in the IT staffing space.
Means: Brand Development, Web Content Development
For: 24 Seven Staffing
The Back Story: 24 Seven was ready to expand their recruiting efforts into the IT staffing space. How could I tailor the voice of 24 Seven for a new audience, ensuring that they remained modern and fun?
The Success Story: It was time to move Fwd:. Intense rounds of brainstorming and tweaking resulted in http://www.fwdstaffing.com/, a progressive and inspired face to put Fwd: in the IT staffing space.
End: Guide Financial Advisors through the 2010 Tax Season
Means: Direct Mail Brochure & Postcard
For: OppenheimerFunds IRA
The Back Story: Legislation changed the rules for Roth IRA conversions in 2010. How could I inform advisors of these new rules and new opportunities?
The Success Story: Guide the way. I created a useful and comprehensive guide (above) outlining key information, tips and strategies to help advisors serve their clients and grow their business. Additionally, I had some fun with star concepts (below) when promoting our highly rated funds for use in clients' IRA portfolios.
Means: Direct Mail Brochure & Postcard
For: OppenheimerFunds IRA
The Back Story: Legislation changed the rules for Roth IRA conversions in 2010. How could I inform advisors of these new rules and new opportunities?
The Success Story: Guide the way. I created a useful and comprehensive guide (above) outlining key information, tips and strategies to help advisors serve their clients and grow their business. Additionally, I had some fun with star concepts (below) when promoting our highly rated funds for use in clients' IRA portfolios.
End: Share Financial Advisor Success Stories
Means: Web Profiles
For: OppenheimerFunds Online
The Back Story: Everyone needs inspiration. How could I bring the insights of successful financial advisors to a mass audience?
The Success Story: Ask the right questions. As the lead writer of our Advisor Exchange series, I've had the opportunity to interview financial advisors at the top of their field and share their stories. It continues to be one of the most popular features on our site.
End: Encourage Investors to Go Green
Means: Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Investor Services
The Back Story: Even fund companies care about the environment. How could I encourage investors to sign up for paperless statements and save a couple of trees?
The Success Story: It never hurts to be clever. I played with words and emphasized the environment, ease and efficiency to get our point across.
Means: Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Investor Services
The Back Story: Even fund companies care about the environment. How could I encourage investors to sign up for paperless statements and save a couple of trees?
The Success Story: It never hurts to be clever. I played with words and emphasized the environment, ease and efficiency to get our point across.
End: Re-imagine, Revise and Re-flow Content for Site Redesign
Means: Web Content Development / Management
For: OppenheimerFunds Online
The Back Story: Our financial advisor site was finally getting a well-deserved redesign. How would we use this opportunity to re-examine content and create a more informative and succinct user experience?
The Success Story: Feed the template. We reorganized content into more concise chunks, divided it into more intuitive sections and revised it into more effective copy. By taking a step back and re-examining the entire site map we worked to create a more useful site, set to launch in early 2010.
Means: Web Content Development / Management
For: OppenheimerFunds Online
The Back Story: Our financial advisor site was finally getting a well-deserved redesign. How would we use this opportunity to re-examine content and create a more informative and succinct user experience?
The Success Story: Feed the template. We reorganized content into more concise chunks, divided it into more intuitive sections and revised it into more effective copy. By taking a step back and re-examining the entire site map we worked to create a more useful site, set to launch in early 2010.
End: Educate Small Business Owners on Retirement
Means: Targeted Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds Retirement Services
The Back Story: Many small business owners believe that adding a retirement plan to their company is too complex and costly. How could I convey that the exact opposite is true?
The Success Story: I framed retirement as an integral part of a business plan, to emphasize its importance and necessity. Once that groundwork was done, the benefits of low fees and minimum administration were just icing on the cake.
End: Educate Consumers on International Investing
Means: Consumer Brochure
For: OppenheimerFunds Asset Management
The Back Story: There are tangible benefits to looking outside the U.S. when choosing stocks. How could I clearly and concisely introduce consumers to the advantages of international investing?
The Success Story: Keep it simple. I distilled the complexity of Oppenheimer International Diversified Fund into three understandable benefits (Access to world class foreign companies; Exposure to broad, long-term trends; A comprehensive international allocation). Can't always remove all the financial gobbledygook, but this was definitely consumer-ready.
Means: Consumer Brochure
For: OppenheimerFunds Asset Management
The Back Story: There are tangible benefits to looking outside the U.S. when choosing stocks. How could I clearly and concisely introduce consumers to the advantages of international investing?
The Success Story: Keep it simple. I distilled the complexity of Oppenheimer International Diversified Fund into three understandable benefits (Access to world class foreign companies; Exposure to broad, long-term trends; A comprehensive international allocation). Can't always remove all the financial gobbledygook, but this was definitely consumer-ready.
End: Encourage Legacy Planning
Means: Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds IRA
The Back Story: The topic of inheritance is a delicate one. How could I encourage people to leave a bright future for their loved ones without touching on the grim circumstances that trigger an inheritance?
The Success Story: Keep it positive. The simple phrase, "Pass It On," was the perfect tag for this legacy planning postcard. The endearing image of father and son brought the whole concept together.
Means: Direct Mail
For: OppenheimerFunds IRA
The Back Story: The topic of inheritance is a delicate one. How could I encourage people to leave a bright future for their loved ones without touching on the grim circumstances that trigger an inheritance?
The Success Story: Keep it positive. The simple phrase, "Pass It On," was the perfect tag for this legacy planning postcard. The endearing image of father and son brought the whole concept together.
End: Promote College Savings in Texas
Means: Direct Mail Brochures
For: OppenheimerFunds College Savings
The Back Story: As the state sponsored college savings plan in Texas, how could I build upon our brand while educating and enticing new investors?
The Success Story: Everything's bigger in Texas -- so I drew upon our already successful product slogan, "The Start of Something BIG." Each brochure went into detail about the savings advantages of the plan while drawing on engaging school elements, the aspirations of parents and the college dreams of their children.
Means: Direct Mail Brochures
For: OppenheimerFunds College Savings
The Back Story: As the state sponsored college savings plan in Texas, how could I build upon our brand while educating and enticing new investors?
The Success Story: Everything's bigger in Texas -- so I drew upon our already successful product slogan, "The Start of Something BIG." Each brochure went into detail about the savings advantages of the plan while drawing on engaging school elements, the aspirations of parents and the college dreams of their children.
End: Introduce New College Savings Website
Means: Promotional Flyers
For: OppenheimerFunds College Savings
The Back Story: Parents need help tackling the rising cost of education. How could I spread the word that OppenheimerFunds sponsors a new website offering parents the tools and resources to help them save for college?
The Success Story: Be aspirational. I played off of the name of the site, http://www.collegewithinreach.com/, drawing upon the core truth that college is about dreams, and this site is here to help parents and children reach them.
Means: Promotional Flyers
For: OppenheimerFunds College Savings
The Back Story: Parents need help tackling the rising cost of education. How could I spread the word that OppenheimerFunds sponsors a new website offering parents the tools and resources to help them save for college?
The Success Story: Be aspirational. I played off of the name of the site, http://www.collegewithinreach.com/, drawing upon the core truth that college is about dreams, and this site is here to help parents and children reach them.
End: Engage Young, Creative Job Seekers
Means: Print Advertising
For: 24 Seven Staffing
The Back Story: 24 Seven needed a new voice for the print ads they ran in Women's Wear Daily. How could I introduce some life and make job hunting cool?
The Success Story: "Life can be beautiful at you cubicle." I injected come levity and contemporary references to engage a new generation of job seekers -- and the response rate spiked.
Means: Print Advertising
For: 24 Seven Staffing
The Back Story: 24 Seven needed a new voice for the print ads they ran in Women's Wear Daily. How could I introduce some life and make job hunting cool?
The Success Story: "Life can be beautiful at you cubicle." I injected come levity and contemporary references to engage a new generation of job seekers -- and the response rate spiked.
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