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We tapped into BlackRock’s rigorous research and crafted a concept that showed iShares ETFs are for everyone. Our concept revolved around characters from all walks of life, from the aspiring DJ mixing tempos in her home studio to the nutritionist whipping up a healthy meal in the kitchen, and the yoga practitioner finding inner peace at home – everyone has what it takes to be an ETF investor. In between their hobbies, they learn more about iShares by watching iShares by BlackRock’s advisors through their mobile devices, emphasising that the pursuit of ETF education can be easily integrated into their lifestyles.

When iShares launched a brand refresh to introduce a much brighter colour scheme, we knew we had a unique opportunity to make a splash with our campaign launch and capture attention from iShares by BlackRock’s competitors by including it at the core of our creative concept. Our high-end studio set mimicked the bold, updated palette of iShares to quickly catch the attention of online audiences by integrating bright pops of blues, greens, yellows, and pinks to create a slick and memorable visual effect.

The quality of scripting was equally vital and ensured a high standard of content across the board. Each video featured one question and answer, in a tone that felt both conversational, relatable and built as social first so that viewers would instantly recognise themselves in the characters. Each millennial actor was first shown participating in a universal hobby that highlighted a desire to “achieve more” through personal development. They then picked up their smartphone to input a search query, where an expert filmed against a white background appears on screen to offer approachable advice.

To facilitate localisation for different markets, we casted diverse actors and shot the “answer to their question” using smartphones with a green screen. This modular video strategy empowered BlackRock teams in local markets to jump onto the campaign, easily recording the “answers” in local languages and switching out the part shot within the phone. This also enabled the videos to be re-worked and co-branded with partners including Lloyds Bank.

Since October 2023, the video series has excelled in paid media, with YouTube impressions reaching 50M impressions (50% above industry standards) and another 24M on Instagram (51% above benchmark). Campaign projections were exceeded with +138K extra website visitors (a 40% increase which doubled BlackRock’s original KPIs) and a 25% increase in conversions from the iShares website to online broker apps where the iShares products can be bought. By January 2024, searches for iShares increased by 49% compared to 2023. The iShares video campaign beat industry benchmarks by 9%, with Instagram exceeding benchmarks for VTR rates by 52%. Turns out people who don’t watch financial content… quite like financial content.