Edward Jones Investments came to us looking to increase their awareness and brand consideration among a broader population. At the time, a lot of their customers were old and the average amount of assets they handled for customers was a lot smaller than that of their customers. How could they become more relevant to a broader audience? 

 

The first thing that stood out about Edward Jones was its culture. It doesn't allow investors to buy options, futures or stocks priced under $4. Nor does it let customers trade stocks too frequently. No wonder the firm appealed to older, more conservative people! But the more we thought about it, the more this principled approach seemed like something to celebrate, not run away from. We had just been through the bust of the dotcom bubble, so people were still smarting from their losses. Maybe they needed to be reminded to get away from following investment fads and stick to some more unfashionable principles.   

 

Our strategy for the brand became: "Proudly Unfashionable since 1876", and lead to the advertising you see below. We even identified a target audience of investors who, psychographically, were principled people and therefore were more likely to find the brand appealing.