Case study
Reimagining later-life lending for the UK
Boosting visibility and profits through a strategic rebrand to provide the platform to compete nationally against sector giants, using tactical communications to win headlines and educate the public to instil confidence in the sector.
Snapshot
27
Articles in first three months
3
National newspaper articles per month
22
New advisers recruited to support national expansion
The strategy
A thorough communications and branding review was conducted to identify the strengths and weaknesses of 55Plus. This included a full discovery process and resulted in Sharp Minds creating a new and evolved brand, website and messaging that better aligned with the company’s growth and evolved goals.
A compelling thought leadership campaign drove awareness and repositioned the firm’s perceived priorities. A national media roadshow was held with target journalists to overhaul perceptions of equity release, with the leadership team established as go-to commentators on relevant media topics. This was supported with monthly blogs, social media posts and newsletters to drive referrer and client engagement.
We revised the messaging strategy to focus on relatable case studies, creating compelling advertorials and digital content that showcased the consultants’ expertise and exceptional customer experiences to boost SEO and drive offline brand engagement. Social marketing and strategic sponsorship, PR and media partnerships were aligned to consolidate brand reputation.
The outcome
Sharp Minds successfully rebranded the business and launched 55Plus into the national media, establishing the company as the leading voice on equity release and later life lending, simultaneously helping to educate the public and offset previous negative perceptions of equity release.
27 media hits were generated in the first three months, including tier-one media titles: The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, Financial News and The Mail on Sunday.
This resulted in a stronger and more authoritative brand and increased business.
Sharp Minds helped support 55Plus’s business model to adapt and change as a direct result of rapid growth. The Sharp Minds team orchestrated a dramatic rebrand to help showcase our improved customer services initiatives and attract new clients, as well as implementing a mature marketing and communications strategy to have a more targeted and collaborative way of working with our clients/introducers and provide initiatives for feedback. Sharp Minds has excellent press and media contacts and achieved positive and helpful national coverage for us in a very short space of time. The Sharp Minds team was always on hand to help with difficulties and would work overtime to remove any bumps in the road.
Jan Johnson, Founder and Director - 55Plus
