• by Judy Warner , April 25, 2007

Fidelity Investments is evolving its "Smart Move" brand campaign with a series of new commercials that borrow ideas and dialogue from customer experience and research. The legendary "real life" directing prowess of the prolific Joe Pytka resonates throughout the first of three new commercials now airing that feature various couples speaking to each other and the camera about their investment experience--or, in at least one instance, lack of experience.

All three of the 30-second spots--more are in the works--close with a voiceover that intones, "No matter what kind of an investor you are, Fidelity can help you make a smart move." Overall, according to Fidelity, the campaign will run during 18 prime-time network shows on ABC, CBS and Fox; a number of cable channels, including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and ESPN; and in 10 top-tier print publications.

Some of the set-ups resulted from new research into retirement that Fidelity conducted among married couples. Although these couples generally knew what retirement products they own, their answers differed significantly when asked about their expectations and goals. Fidelity found that more than 30% of couples gave different answers when asked at what age they will retire, what they expect their lifestyle to be, and whether they intend to continue to work.

The Fidelity Investments Couples Retirement Research Study was conducted between February and March 2007 by Richard Day Research. The national sample was comprised of 502 married couples born between 1937 and 1964 with household income of at least $75,000 or investment assets of $100,000, who plan to retire from a full-time profession. When the results were tallied, what Fidelity found was how little planning most couples had done even though they were advancing in years.

When asked which income sources they would rely on most in retirement, most couples agreed that workplace savings plans, pensions and Social Security would top the list, but few husbands and wives (39%) agreed upon which potential source would be their primary source of income.

Many couples (58%) failed to give matching answers when asked who their spouse would turn to for financial guidance in the event of their death. And one in five (22%) couples could not agree on whether a financial advisor helped them plan for retirement.

The research was a springboard into new ads that initially promote the Fidelity brand and will eventually include product-specific executions. Some of the couples' actual conversations were used to help create the dialogue for new ads. The campaign is expected to run through the year.

"We've always known that talking about money can be difficult for people, and through our research we could visibly see the dynamic immediately change between couples when discussing their finances," says Claire Huang, executive vice president of marketing for Fidelity Personal Investments. "We think many people will relate to these ads, and be encouraged to talk more openly about their finances to help them better prepare for the future."