Gibraltar Securities Company, a financial services firm, came to us looking to retain customers, inspire new ones, and build its brand imagery. Our challenge was to create an integrated marketing campaign.
We knew we had to immerse ourselves in Gibraltar’s business and, through research with customers and prospects, find the key buttons to push.
Apart from our learning, we had some teaching to do. Gibraltar had done minimal advertising and promotion and nothing of a coordinated nature. They would have to spend some marketing dollars in a smart way to build the brand.
Rather than attack Gibraltar’s competition – a no-win proposition for a regional company competing with big guys – we developed a message strategy to capture the essence of the way real consumers make financial decisions. We positioned Gibraltar as the solution to consumers’ specific financial needs.
We found something interesting interviewing customers. When people were ready to invest they often asked friends, relatives, their boss, or their dentist for advice.
We found the “nerve” we were looking for and created the theme “Don’t Ask Your Brother-In-Law. . . Ask Gibraltar Securities.”
Our campaign, designed to build its brand and generate calls to action, consisted of radio, outdoor, newspaper, and direct response. We offered a free tax guide and free information on the new Roth IRA account.
Did we ever hit a nerve! Call-ins and mail-ins for the tax guide and information were better than expected. The campaign established a brand image that gave brokers and their clients a sense of pride. And it generated hundreds of leads for acquisition.
Lesson learned: If you roll up your sleeves and work with your client from its starting point, you can build a relationship, an account, and a brand.
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