Morningstar, which provides independent investing data and
insights, launched a U.S. brand campaign last week called "Game On" built on a playful metaphor and brand positioning of "nothing in your way."
The campaign -- which launched Sept.
15 and will run into 2027 -- is intended to help investors see the value in the company's data, research, ratings, benchmarks and other tools.
Public and private investment markets continue to
converge, increasing complexities for investors, Nicolette Konkol, senior vice president of corporate marketing at Morningstar, told MediaPost.
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"Often times investors face barriers
when trying to sift through information from markets to make investment decisions," she said. "Taking those physical barriers and putting them into an 8-bit gaming world gives investors a good
opportunity to see how we can clear the way to reach their goals."
The campaign, built on the concept of 8-bit gaming concept, turns market pain points into a playful retro video game
developed with Substance Collective, a boutique brand strategy, design, and marketing agency.
The 40-year-old investment firm in the past typically focused sustainable strategies and
campaigns on data, but with a more conservative approach. The campaign, static and video ads are running across connected TV (CTV), out-of-home, social media, and other
platforms, as well as on Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, and custom content.
A gaming platform is not on the agenda for the campaign. But when MediaPost asked whether Morningstar has plans to build an actual gaming platform that allows people to
interact with it, Konkol said she wants to have a game built, but wants to wait to see the response before investing additional dollars.
"We want to see if the campaign wets people's appetite for more engagement," she said.
The campaign focuses on four
barriers that investors face, and how Morningstar clears a path so they can make decisions.
The barriers include seeing private markets more clearly, building better benchmarks,
applying the same rigor to credit risks, and putting it all together in portfolios.
"We want to bring more awareness to Morningstar's capabilities," she said, especially since the buying
behavior has shifted, largely toward answers from AI.