Vanguard CMO Louise Eyres on the company’s first Australian campaign
Investment management company Vanguard recently celebrated 25 years in Australia, but it has never before had a chief marketing officer, or a consumer-focused campaign.
In December of 2019, the company brought on former Sport Australia CMO and ANZ group GM marketing, Louise Eyres, as its inaugural head of marketing.
Speaking on this week’s Mumbrellacast, Eyres explains that Vanguard’s marketing function previously had a strong B2B focus.
“Marketing was part of product, or aligned with the product team, so that’s why you haven’t seen a lot of Vanguard in the market.
“The team was really focused on our institutional and financial advisor clients.”
Vanguard CMO Louise Eyres
During 2020’s lockdowns, Vanguard took the steps to “double” the size of its marketing team. Since then, the investment company has also quietly rolled out its debut consumer marketing campaign.
Eyres says not making a big song and dance of the campaign is in keeping with “the Vanguard way of doing things”.
“We let the work prove itself and we’re happy not to create a lot of noise because it’s really the focus on our clients,” she says.
The campaign was created with TBWA, with UM on board for planning and strategy. “It’s a fully integrated campaign that really shares our story with more Australians, and is about how we build the brand away from that direct to investor area,” Eyres explains.
“We want this to be start of a long-term connection, and the campaign aims to get more Australians investing.”
The hero TVC shows everyday Aussies investing in everyday places, not just sitting at computer, but using Vanguard’s app and website in the park on a table and in a taxi on a smart phone.
“I think a lot of Australians think you need thousands of dollars to start investing. But actually, for $500, you can invest in our personal investor platform. And you can just put a little bit in every pay until you get to your goals,” Eyres says.
“So it’s about making in it accessible, making it simply and easy, just put a little bit in each month.”
After this “awareness” phase, Vanguard will look to release material with more of a call to action. But this early phase will roll out on linear channels, including television and radio
“So really the first few weeks of the campaign is really in that awareness, introducing ourselves to the Australian market. And then we will move into more consideration and conversion.
“So you will see in the weeks ahead material showing far more specific and tangible reasons to choose Vanguard, particularly around our personal investor platform.”
Eyres reveals that working with TBWA was made easier by the fact that the team was led by Brandon Crockett, a Vanguard customer of more than 17 years who had come over from the USA.
Crockett understood the Vanguard message and culture. “We always joke that they planted him in the team just to get the business,” Eyres laughs.
“He knew Vanguard from the US lens which really helped because the business is such a large business.
“So having that perspective of that heritage, and being able to apply it in an Australian context, make the partnership with TBWA really strong.”
Full our full chat with Vanguard’s marketing head Louise Eyres, tune in to the Mumbrellacast this week.
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Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
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Brandon Crockett
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Louise Eyres
TBWA
The Vanguard Way
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Vanguard Australia
