Abrdn releases first campaign after rebrand
Global investment firm Abrdn (formerly known as Standard Life Aberdeen) has unleashed its first campaign since consolidating its business under a single brand in July.
‘The Power of Investment’ seeks to reframe high finance as a force for good by highlighting the positive impact research, industrial and real estate investors make from the development of prosthetic limbs to financing your favorite football team and equipping hospitals.
Amid images of happy, smiling beneficiaries of capital investments, a narrator informs viewers that “... when your investments do good things, so can you. We are millions of people, we are billions of pounds and together we are changing our future.”
Developed by Iris Worldwide, the uplifting campaign builds on Abrdn research, which found that 54% of the public believe that investing not only secures their financial future but can have a positive impact on society.
Reflecting a simplification of the Edinburgh-based firm, the campaign moves beyond cold pounds and pence to the societal benefits that accrue from efficient investment through real-world examples such as Sol and his dad Ben, who demonstrate how recent robotics advancements have enabled the mass production of prosthetic limbs.
Elisha Pearce, managing partner at Iris, said: “Investment is still seen by too many people as elitist and inaccessible. Abrdn want to change that. The new campaign reframes investment as an ability – the power to change, not just your future but lots of futures, for the better. Empowerment and accessibility are central to the campaign.”
Stephen Whitehead, chief brand, marketing and corporate affairs officer at Abrdn, added: “We want to show people that they have the power to create a better future for themselves and society through investment, and that they can do so in a way that suits their personal beliefs, objectives and financial means."
Launching on November 15, the integrated campaign will span TV, out-of-home (OOH), radio, press, digital advertising, social and PR.
Last July the investment giant united five disparate Standard Life Aberdeen brands under the Abrdn banner – and was roundly mocked for its troubles, placing the brand on the back foot as it sought to contain the fallout from its contentious decision to eradicate the letter ‘e.’