Nuveen is an investment firm that has focussed on positive societal impact since its inception over 120 years ago, but its age and stance meant it was seen as a niche player – in partnership with business magazine Forbes, the company was able to reframe the meaning of wealth.

Why it matters: Difficult, sophisticated audiences don’t require laser-sharp targeting as much as they need their attention grabbed.

WARC Media Awards

For the full insights, read the Grand-Prix-Winning case study here: Nuveen: Rerank the Rich.

Find all the winners of the Effective Use of Partnerships & Sponsorships category here.

  • Advertorial can be ignored, but sponsorship of a flagship content piece, like Forbes' wealth ranking, is far more direct.
  • The idea of reframing the wealth ranking around the impact of that wealth makes this a purpose campaign, just one that wears it lightly, confidently.
  • That Forbes and Nuveen repeated the partnership shows that both the magazine and the brand saw a benefit – people are more concerned with the positive and negative impact of capitalism.

With agencies MullenLowe US and Mediahub, Nuveen sought to reassert the brand at the core of what was now the fastest-growing area in finance, responsible investing, which the firm was early to but was not considered its territory.

Rerank the Rich aimed to show that not all billionaires are created equal, by re-ranking the Forbes rich-list – “the heart of privilege” – to list not only an individual's wealth but also the positive impact they have made with it.

A perception of leadership really matters in finance. Gatekeepers, like financial advisors and institutional investors, were consolidating the number of asset managers they worked with down to just the leaders – Nuveen needed to become one, fast.

Its intended audience were people paid to look after money. Financial advisors were cynical, but not difficult to reach; institutional investors, meanwhile, would require media choices that would exude trust, but also allow the brand to set a new standard. Eventually, the brand managed to increase intent to recommend among FAs and IIs by 15% above financial services (investing) norms – the main business objective.

Sourced from WARC