Famous for its user-friendliness. Innovation. And drive to put real people in control of their own financial futures.
Which relied on declarative puns alone to drive people to purchase. And provided no additional support in reaching out to new demographics. Educating people in products and services. Or even helping them manage Schwab’s byzantine dotcom site.
When AKQA won the digital, I was made creative lead, charged with changing all this.
•One that started with boosting advertising outcomes.
•Built the addressible user base.
•Aligned Schwab's digital more strongly with the company's historic mission.
•And then worked at Brand level, to build a stronger identity in the digital space.
Schwab’s pun-based online wasn’t pulling sufficient business. My first step was to provide structure. Developing a process we could use across all products to: better identify and target key demographics. Examine the sorts of messaging that would better speak to their needs and concerns. And then micro-message to build engagement and activation.
First out of the gate was the Schwab IRA.
My new approach delivered record levels of clickthrough. And new customer registration.
Schwab's primary users were over 35. So I led teams to explore a younger look and feel that would extend beyond Schwab’s Boomer and Gen X base – and appeal directly to Millennials.
Schwab wasn't just any financial brand. It was the brand with a proud heritage. So I wanted every new digital product or tool to speak to that heritage – and the brand's core beliefs going forward:
...So I led teams to develop education content to make the customer the expert. And developed processes to expedite the production of that content.
...So I led teams developing new types of digital tool, to help customers make confident choices.
...So I developed bitesized online and on-app video content. To explain new services. And evangelise new products.
Finally, I worked at Brand level, to build the brand platform, brand voice, pillars, feel and reach of the brand. So we could keep building the unity and coherence of our underlying digital strategy. Replacing an ineffective approach to digital with something more ambitious and future focused.
A more cohesive, ambitious approach to building Schwab's digital brand in a way that could help them build business more effectively.
•Creative lead
•Management of teams
•Ideation
•Copywriting
•Building strategic processes (to standardize and speed workflows, optimize outcomes. And reduce on-boarding time for new team members).
How do you make one nation’s news broadcaster the world’s news broadcaster?
How do you give a 60’s brand a Millennial identity?
How do you make the top social platform a top commercial platform?
"Mike is no less than brilliant. His rare mind is a tremendous asset to crafting profound and actionable strategy. Mike's capacity stems from the breath and quality of knowledge he brings to bear on solving problems. His knowledge runs deep; past the workings of advertising, business and modern culture down to fundamentals of humanity. He routinely connects observations to their origins in philosophy, history and social architecture in a masterful form that liberates creativity and reframes the beliefs of his clients and colleagues. With creativity and new perspectives we progress and working with Mike is a first class ticket to a better future."
"No one understands how to build major brands like Mike. And no one has more discipline in doing it. Sure, he's a great creative talent - but he's also a very strategic mind. The sort of mind we needed to help kick Visa Signature to the next level. Mike is talented, passionate, driven and dedicated to delivering change. I'm fortunate to have worked with him. I hope our paths will cross again!"
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