Bundesverband Investment und Asset Management (BVI): FUNDS. JUST FOR EVERYONE

Credits & Description:

Category: Financial Services, incl. Investor Relations and Corporate Finance

Advertiser: BUNDESVERBAND INVESTMENT UND ASSET MANAGEMENT E.V.

Product/Service: INVESTMENT FUNDS

Agency: fischerAppelt

Managing Partner: Nico Ziegler (fischerAppelt Advisors)

Senior Manager: Lydia Schiphorst (fischerAppelt Advisors)

Head Of Operations: Johannes Buzasi (fischerAppelt Advisors)

Creative Director: Tobias Holland (fischerAppelt Advisors)

Creative Director: Bill Yom (fischerAppelt Advisors)

Assistant Director: Christine Coring (fischerAppelt Advisors)

Text: Petra Schotten (fischerAppelt Advisors)

Media placement: Media Work - - Spring 2011

Media placement: Homepage - - Spring 2011

Media placement: Facebook-Site - - Spring 2011

Media placement: Advertising - - Summer 2011

Media placement: Panel Discussions - - Summer 2011

Media placement: PR Materials For Financial Consultants - - Summer 2011

Media placement: National Funds Awareness Day - - Spring 2012



Summary of the Campaign

In 2011, financial products like funds have seen immense damage to their reputation. Furthermore, research has shown that the majority of Germans thinks that funds are only relevant for rich people. To restore the image of funds and to bring them closer to the general public, the major German investment companies came together and launched the 'Funds. Just for everyone.' campaign. A campaign that – thanks to its humorous approach – is unique in German financial communications. And which therefore gained huge attention. As a result, the campaign was one of the top financial media topics in Germany and reached new target groups that haven’t related to funds before.



The Situation

Most people find financial products boring. They do not even understand them, because of special terms and complicated small print. The result: funds are a classic example of a low involvement product.



In 2011, the situation was getting even worse. The financial crisis has massively shaken people’s confidence in financial products. The demand for investment funds has fallen dramatically. And that is a problem for society as a whole too, because key services like pensions depend on them.



To stop this trend, 30 major German investment companies came together for a joint campaign.



The Goal

Promoting funds – the product with the worst loss of image in 2011 – by restoring the people’s trust, showing them that funds are still the most reliable capital asset. An asset that everybody can rely on.



The Strategy

The campaign’s claim 'Funds. Just for everyone' describes the principle of funds. They are as reliable as saving books, but also as profitable as stocks. They are appealing for asset amateurs as well as investment experts. In short: 'They are just for everyone'.



To anchor the relevance of funds in the average consumer’s mind, we had to establish trust. And what does that better than humour? So we decided to design a campaign that stands out from ordinary financial communications – because it is not only easy to understand, but also funny.



Execution

As a key visual, we designed a hand with its 5 fingers representing various types of savers. The hand runs through the various measures in the campaign. From print advertising to below-the-line, through to a viral investment fund sitcom on YouTube.



The hand’s humorous approach was also transferred to the central point of the campaign: the funniest press work ever realized in German financial communications. Major German media reported on financial products just because of that new spin. Exceptional headlines were generated and stated e.g. that women fancy guys with a profound knowledge of financial matters. These catchy openings were always combined with a serious but understandable message, putting across the advantages of funds. Even media that normally do not report on financial issues were excited. A very important point, because this way the campaign reached people who are normally not interested in matters to do with finance.



Documented Results

The campaign generated over 260m contacts just in print, achieving over 5,000 articles in print and online media. Additionally, broadcasts at more than 80 radio stations reached 1.5m listeners. These results made the campaign one of the most popular financial topics in 2011.



Moreover, we attained our goal of reaching new target groups. The majority of contacts was realized through local media being consumed by average citizens – not by finance experts.



Feedback from journalists and the online community was consistently positive. Even leading German green party candidate Omid Nouripour – who is from a side of politics that is not in love with the financial industry – liked the campaign, posting the virals on his Twitter page and spreading the campaign’s message: 'Funds - Just for everyone'.