Top-five reverse mortgage lender Финансы Америки (FOA) has enlisted creative advertising agency David&Goliath (D&G) to serve as its new creative agency of record (AOR), following a competitive process including several other candidate agencies.
The company — which formally announced the arrangement on Thursday — includes business and brand strategy, creative development and industry thought leadership initiatives, according to the announcement.
“This new work aims to educate homeowners on the important role of home equity in retirement, and revolutionize the reverse mortgage category while redefining an entire audience that has historically been neglected when it comes to communications—specifically those aged 55+,” the agency said.
David Angelo, founder and creative chairman of the agency, explained that the company’s work will aim to cement FOA as an industry leader and to reshape perceptions around reverse mortgage and the company’s adjacent offerings.
“We have an enormous opportunity to create some of the most impactful work this category has seen, and it will have the power to improve thousands of lives,” Angelo said. “We’re excited to help the category leader transform their industry and to place the Finance of America brand in the position to reshape perceptions of reverse mortgages by demonstrating the many ways they unleash your best life in retirement.”
The new arrangement will encompass several different areas of the core messaging, including “developing brand, social and communication strategy along with creative ideation and production of a 360-brand repositioning campaign,” according to the announcement.
The first campaign is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2025, and will consist of work aiming to highlight the company’s potential as a partner for homeowners who may want to explore tapping into their home equity, with the agency alluding to a “newly developed long-term platform by D&G has the power to catalyze the type of growth that has been elusive for the category.”
Chris Moschner, FOA’s chief marketing officer, added that the new advertising material is squarely focused on expanding the base of potential clients.
“The reverse mortgage marketing paradigm has stayed the same for decades but modern times call for modern solutions and modern messaging,” Moschner said in a prepared statement. “This new brand platform will elevate the category and help break the reverse mortgage adoption barrier that is holding so many back from enjoying the full potential of their retirement.”
Ashley Honoré Smith, SVP of brand and communications at FOA, told ЖильеПроволока‘s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD) that the company looks forward to turning the page toward the next phase of its marketing ambitions.
“With our post-acquisition integration work behind us, we’ve shared that it’s time to shift our focus to the future of reverse mortgages,” Smith said. “Bringing on an esteemed agency like David&Goliath is a demonstration of how serious we are about actualizing the potential this category has only spoken of for far too long.”
Absent from the official announcement were any mentions of Tom Selleck, the longtime spokesman for Американская группа консультантов (AAG) who transitioned to speaking for FOA following the company’s acquisition of AAG’s assets. FOA officials previously said that Selleck was a key element of FOA’s renewed marketing efforts following the acquisition, but it’s unknown how or if he will factor into this renewed messaging.
Last summer, FOA included Selleck in new advertising material posted to its investor website and its YouTube channel.
Last November, FOA President Kristen Sieffert spoke about a desire to craft a new marketing approach for the company. In March during an earnings call, she elaborated further on what the company hopes to accomplish with a fresh marketing strategy.
«Мы вложили довольно много средств в исследование потребителей, чтобы действительно понять, как лучше охватить весь существующий целевой рынок», — сказала она. «В течение последнего года мы работали над полным переходом рекламной и брендовой платформы, [который] будет запущен во втором квартале. Мы полностью перейдем от наших старых рекламных кампаний к новым кампаниям летом».
Примечание редактора: This story has been updated with a statement from Ashley Honoré Smith, SVP of brand and communications at FOA.
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