How does a super fund stand out for all the right reasons?
CareSuper appointed PUSH to develop a new brand strategy and identity in 2017. The brand needed to better represent this medium-sized fund’s superior financial performance, and provide a platform for future innovation. Their ultimate aim was to stand out from the crowd and grow faster as the fund of choice for professionals.
CareSuper is an industry super fund. Such funds are run only to benefit members and were originally established under an agreement between parties to an industrial award.
CareSuper was set up in 1986 to focus on clerical, administrative and retail employees (hence the ‘Care’). But like many other industry super funds, CareSuper gradually opened its membership to the wider public, establishing a strong foothold among professionals across many industries.
We started the project by immersing ourselves in the lives of various professionals – assessing their attitude to superannuation, money, their careers, and their perspective on CareSuper and alternative funds.
It quickly became apparent that CareSuper was perceived as quite passive despite its strong financial performance. Now the brand had to step up and connect better with its primary audience: savvy, busy people with a progressive outlook in life.
The idea reflects CareSuper’s investment capabilities as well as the mindset and aspirations of its primary member base. We want to tell a story that focuses on the importance of being enterprising, adaptable and resilient in order to succeed in a world full of uncertainty.
"Superannuation has historically been a low-engagement category among people – which makes it very hard for brands to find the opportunity to stand for something powerful, and stand out from the crowd. PUSH has done an outstanding job at getting under the skin of our audiences and creating a brand that deeply resonates with them. It’s a brand that gives us a long-term platform to continue growing with confidence and for the benefit of our members."
Peter Theodorakopoulos
Executive Manager
Marketing and Brand Strategy
CareSuper
The new brand positioning set the stage for radical changes in how the brand looks, speaks and sounds.
CareSuper’s brand has been reimagined in line with the ‘fit for success’ brand idea. It now consists of an integrated visual, verbal and sonic identity that projects a new sense of confidence and dynamism. Communication is now far more persuasive thanks to a new messaging matrix articulating key proof points and benefits to be used with members, potential members and financial planners. Key was to explain CareSuper’s focus on maximising the investment returns after fees and the advantages of the fund's active approach to investment.
A photoshoot of members by fashion photographer Cameron Grayson generated images that underpin a distinctly different tone of voice in the financial sector.
Former Olympian turned media personality Giaan Rooney continues to be CareSuper’s brand ambassador. Giaan’s story and association with the brand is even more compelling when viewed through the lens of the new brand strategy.
Pre- and post-launch tracking showed a rapid improvement in the brand’s image.
The new brand was was first rolled out internally, then externally through a multi-channel campaign created by the advertising agency, Scorch.
Pre- and post-launch tracking by EY Sweeney in 2019 showed key positive brand associations strengthening and a deeper connection with the primary audience’s mindset. The study highlighted how CareSuper was more strongly associated with the all-important attribute of ‘providing good returns’ among the general public than other funds in the competitive set. The brand has also significantly improved its score for ‘innovative’, ‘energetic’ and ‘forward thinking’ metrics.
