Financial services giant TIAA-CREF drops second half of name, rebrands
TIAA-CREF, the financial services/asset management company that supports the academic, research, medical and cultural fields, has relaunched as TIAA, in a move that takes the brand full circle from its origins. It is a massive overhaul for the brand, with a new logo and website, in addition to the shortened name — and will be supported with a national marketing campaign.
“This is more than a name change,” said Connie Weaver, chief marketing officer at TIAA. “Our customers are as diverse as our society, and we serve them all — ranging from educators, maintenance workers, doctors, civil servants, equipment managers and nurses to rocket scientists, administrative assistants, Nobel Prize winners, medical researchers and many more. They dedicate their careers to serving others, and they deserve a financial services organization that’s as passionate about helping them succeed as they are about their life’s work.”
The new name harkens back to 1918, when the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), a fully funded system of pensions for professors, was founded through the vision of Scottish-born industrialist/philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
TIAA developed the new website, logo, advertising and customer engagement model through a multi-agency collaboration. TIAA and the integrated team of marketing partners — including The Martin Agency, Frog, Weber Shandwick and Firstborn — created a customer experience that Weaver describes as “grounded in spirited and simple communications that recognize the unique, ever-changing goals and priorities of our customers, and the pressures they face.”
The national ad campaign begins February 29th across print, radio, television and digital media. The campaign also introduces the redesigned “window” logo.
TIAA manages $845bn in assets (as of 12/31/2015) and on the retail level, offers a wide range of banking, advice and guidance, retirement and educational savings products including TIAA-CREF Tuition Finance, Inc.-managed 529 college savings programs in California, Oregon, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Michigan, Connecticut, Georgia, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Mississippi. TIAA also has been recognized with the Lipper Award for Overall Best Large Fund Company, based on delivering risk-adjusted returns, for three consecutive years.