Skills Used

• Market Research

• Account Management

• Program Management

The Situation

The Certified Financial Planner Board (CFP Board) is a non-profit that certifies financial planners known as "CFP® professionals."

In 2022, it was developing its first large-scale national advertising campaign.

Its Goals:

• Increase awareness of CFP® certification among high-net-worth income earners

• Grow preference for CFP® certification

• Expand consumers’ intent to hire a CFP® professional

Target Audience:

High-Net-Worth-Income Earners

• 35 to 64 years old, educated, employed, or recently retired

• Have a minimum household income of $125,000 and investible assets of $100,000 to $1 million

With a $5 million campaign budget, they needed to ensure the campaign was relevant and attention-grabbing while maintaining their professional brand tone.

The Ask

The CFP Board tapped my company, Heart+Mind Strategies, to:

• Test their creative materials among their target audience across 5 major cities: Des Moines, Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas

• Uncover insights to guide campaign development for effectiveness, relevancy, recall, and impact.

My Work

Account Management

I was the account manager who coordinated planning between the client and project team, in order to understand and communicate project needs that drove research planning and execution.

Program Management

I planned and executed these large-scale research studies with internal teams and external vendors.

Studies included:

• A national tour of 12 focus groups across Des Moines, Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas

• An online survey of n=800 high-net-worth income earners

  
  

Market Research Development

1. I developed the research instruments to uncover key insights.

2. I then oversaw the studies, collected and analyzed the data, and developed reports with actionable insights to guide the campaign.

   
   

   We tested draft videos and messaging materials (storyboards, scripts, graphics) to understand how the agency's advertising resonated with audiences. We identified high-performing and lower-performing materials and identified the factors driving this.

3. At the end of the research program, we developed recommendations for the agency and client to ensure their campaign was based on research, not marketing hunches.

How I Made an Impact

My work helped the CFP Board and advertising agency build messaging that effectively communicated why choosing a CFP® professional matters to their target audience.

The final campaign launched nationally in early 2023, across multiple formats including TV advertisements, digital ads, newspapers, and online advertising.

The campaign exceeded expectations across the board, surpassing all established benchmarks and delivering record-setting KPIs in multiple categories. (SOURCE)

Below is one of the primary creatives I tested and helped refine.

Campaign Results:

• Unaided awareness of CFP® certification doubled to 34% in 2023 (up from 17% in 2011)

• Total awareness hit a record 90% among target audience (up from 75% in 2011)

• Preference for CFP® certification reached 84% - an all-time high and four times higher than 2011

• Marked the most successful performance to date for CFP Board's public awareness efforts