Lincoln Financial’s Brand Repositioning Focuses on Consumer Confidence Concerns

The pandemic’s easing in the U.S. is poised to release pent-up consumer demand—but a vague unease is also emerging as jitters about the economy replace coronavirus concerns. Sensing the new mood, Lincoln Financial, an insurance firm formed in 1905, has launched a branding campaign aimed at reducing the trepidation about money occupying consumers' minds. The soothing messaging is intended to satisfy two goals for Lincoln Financial. The main purpose involves repositioning and redefining the brand to the marketplace. The campaign was created in collaboration with FCB New York. While subtly highlighting the company’s investment products, the effort is premised on building greater brand awareness by demonstrating that Lincoln Financial "gets" how people associate management of their securities with the ability to "secure" their family's hopes for the present and the future. Defining Lincoln Financial The first wave of FCB New York TV and video ads feature images of a cross-generation of people meant to speak to the wide demographic net Lincoln Financial aims to reach. There’s a father steadying his son as they balance on a paddle board on a spacious, gently churning lake. There’s a cautiously excited couple surveying their home renovation. It then shifts to a mom coaxing her seemingly anxious daughter to what quickly becomes a blithe scooter ride through the twilight of a northern town. Finally, there’s a grim patriarch who brightens with a hug from a grandchild as he turns his attention to the family barbecue. The 30-second spot ends with the words "This is Lincoln Financial." "We ultimately landed on the fundamental belief that Lincoln Financial brings people security, and that security is the foundation of freedom," said Lincoln Financial's Angela Laubmeier. "This" is all about showing how financial stability can provide people of all ages the "freedom to enjoy life the way they intended," a Lincoln Financial spokesperson said. The subtext is that Lincoln Financial can help consumers achieve that sense of economic equilibrium. The national spots are accompanied by fully integrated ads running across connected TV (e.g., Hulu), CNN, The Wall Street Journal, LinkedIn, Instagram/Facebook, Twitter, radio, podcasts and Pandora—as well as in print publications like The New York Times and National Geographic. A competitive gap is uncovered Themes of security and independence are par for the course for financial services marketing. The challenge to Lincoln Financial and FCB New York was how to sharpen those motifs and cliches into a message with actual resonance. The overarching goal, however, was simply to make sure people noticed the brand. While recognition has not been too big of a problem for Lincoln Financial over its 115 years in business, FCB New York’s research found people weren’t sure what characteristics made the brand stand out. Consumers also couldn’t say for sure how the company could be relevant to their lives. "That’s why we’re focused on establishing the brand not just as salient but also meaningfully different through this new platform and campaign," said Ben Grossman, svp, group strategy director for FCB New York. "We started by unearthing the brand’s fundamental belief and purpose that separates it from the competition." The agency pulled out a host of psychological and analytical tools. Grossman described the undertaking as an "extensive competitive analysis, semiotics assessments and Jungian brand archetype mapping" that revealed an opportunity: Competitors concentrated on the weight of finances rather than the feeling of freedom on the other side of financial security. "The ideas of optimism and freedom have long been buried in the Lincoln brand, but this opportunity elevates that spirit," Grossman said. "To increase awareness, we engineered a campaign ecosystem designed to win mental availability through a variety of distinctive brand assets." In addition to the use of Lincoln Financial’s existing assets, like its brandmark and long-running "Plan, Protect, Retire" moniker, new elements included "a sonic signature." Rivered type was used to evoke a sense of calm and further amplify the new platform. Putting its ear to the data-driven ground Ultimately, the marketing psychoanalysis led Lincoln Financial to reconsider its brand meaning to update it for 2021. "As we embarked on the new campaign development, we spent a lot of time thinking about how our core brand tenets—integrity, forward thinking and optimism—paired up with the value we’ve been bringing Americans since 1905," said Angela Laubmeier, vp for advertising and sponsorships, Lincoln Financial Group. "Of course, we also looked at the rapidly changing trends in consumers’ attitudes and behaviors. We ultimately landed on the fundamental belief that Lincoln Financial brings people security, and that security is the foundation of freedom." The long-term success of the campaign will be determined through a lift in aided awareness, she added. The brand is examining how well the messaging connected nationally for each of its three target audience segments compared to the company’s financial services company rivals, Laubmeier said. The campaign’s next step involves targeting younger adults more minutely. To deliver that that audience, Lincoln Financial has struck sponsorships with media brands such as TED Talks, NPR, The Knot and The Bump—as well as peer-to-peer partnerships on social media, the company’s first effort in that area. "As this year plays out, we’ll have our ear to the data-driven ground to find more ways to redefine financial security to become even more valuable in consumers’ lives," Grossman said. "We’re particularly excited by how we’re seeing engagement with the brand peak around key life moments that can create a pang of financial doubt. Lincoln Financial has the power to free people of that through its optimism and expertise in a way that builds the brand’s short-term business and long-term equity."