Morgan Stanley set out to make a show that brought the brand’s value proposition to life - the benefit of working with a financial advisor - while also providing useful personal finance guidance to the listener. Morgan Stanley also wanted to show a relatable, human side to the brand, to overcome perceptions that the brand was geared exclusively toward an older, wealthier clientele. Our target audience included high-earners and emerging affluent people who are considering hiring a financial advisor, particularly if they want to know more about what that relationship entails, as well as people who are looking to improve their financial literacy and learn about managing their money.
Each of the seven episodes features a real person with a wealth management question paired with a Morgan Stanley advisor who listens and offers information and perspective. It’s “Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel” meets “Planet Money.”
It was equally important for the show’s creators for this incredibly useful information to be packaged in a way that was relatable, human and entertaining. While we wanted the listener to be aware of the brand’s value proposition and capabilities, we didn’t want to alienate the audience with an approach that was too “sales-y” or product-oriented. We sought out to strike the perfect balance between creating awareness and maintaining favorability. The conversational format, emotionally-driven storytelling style, welcoming and accessible host and elegant sound design came together to deliver exactly that. Our brand lift study from Signal Hill confirms this - 85% of listeners “liked or loved” the episode they listened to, and the study demonstrated a significant boost in both brand awareness AND favorability, a rare combination according to Signal Hill.
This podcast was created in support of Morgan Stanley’s goals of becoming the wealth manager of choice for clients at any wealth or service level and to help combat negative brand perceptions. The results of a brand lift study we commissioned from Signal Hill shows that we are reaching these goals. The podcast has exceeded benchmarks and trends in downloads, with completion rates that increased as the audience grew, exceeding 80%, demonstrating that we are reaching and growing an interested and engaged audience. Demographic reporting showed that our audience composition was well aligned with our high-net worth and emerging affluent target audience segments. Listeners reported benchmark beating results (by double digits) across many attributes that indicated the show’s appeal: they were interested in the topics covered, that the content was relevant for them, that the show kept their interest for the whole episode, they would listen to other episodes and they would recommend the podcast to others. Perhaps most importantly, listeners to the podcast were 5 times more likely to say Morgan Stanley would be their first choice wealth manager among competitors.
