The Brief & Strategy
Energizing a Brand, Engaging a Community
Powered by the Financial Health Network, a nonprofit organization, EMERGE brings together leaders across industries who are committed to improving people’s financial lives. Launched two decades ago as an annual conference, EMERGE has evolved into a year-round lineup of events, podcasts and resources for the financial health community.
In 2017, the Financial Health Network came to Statement to bring a new level of polish to its EMERGE brand. Since then, Statement has worked closely with the nonprofit to develop a dynamic creative system for EMERGE, pivot the brand into a new digital era, and meet its ambitious recruitment and marketing goals.
Brand Development & Communications
Shaping an Ownable Identity
EMERGE exists to spark connections between diverse – and sometimes unlikely – partners to solve systemic financial challenges. For the 2018 EMERGE brand, we conveyed that concept through the use of varied colorful geometric shapes that built upon each other to create more complex and impactful designs.
A large-scale event like EMERGE means many opportunities to create memorable branded experiences. Statement brought the new brand to life through collateral, on-site signage and even a magazine for guests. We also provided creative direction and execution for email and social to drive hundreds of registrations for the event.
“Statement has increased the quality of our work tenfold. We’ve had tremendous success in growing our EMERGE brand, and Statement has been instrumental in that success.” FAWZIAH BAJWA, VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING OPERATIONS, EMERGE
EMERGE headed to Arizona in 2019, and the brand went to new heights, too. Statement built on the existing visuals to isolate the triangle shape, evoking the stunning mountain backdrop and progress toward a strong foundation for financial health.
Digital Evolution
Creating an Immersive Online Experience
For the Financial Health Network’s 15-year anniversary, EMERGE planned to host a look at the past, present and future of financial health in Atlanta. But like many plans in 2020, this one took a turn that landed EMERGE in a new home: online.
When COVID hit, Statement partnered with the Financial Health Network to transition EMERGE into a free, fully virtual five-day event. We developed new messaging, refreshed visuals and maintained an aggressive recruitment schedule to launch EMERGE Live just three months later. Its initial success prompted the Financial Health Network to launch two new virtual events, EMERGE Workplace for employers and EMERGE Insights for seasoned financial health leaders. Statement created distinct messaging and visuals for each event, helping to attract a growing audience of changemakers to EMERGE.
Launching the EMERGE Everywhere Podcast
As part of its digital transformation, EMERGE launched a podcast featuring interviews with CEO Jennifer Tescher and well-known industry leaders. We created a visual system for the podcast, developed social and email templates, and produced communications to help take these timely conversations from recording studio to publication as swiftly as possible.
Return to In-Person
Looking Back, Leaning Forward
EMERGE’s flagship in-person conference made its triumphant return in 2022 – now part of a rich ecosystem of ongoing events and resources. We developed a theme for the event, “Looking Back, Leaning Forward,” that captured the emotion and excitement of planning for the post-pandemic future. In addition to supporting on-site branding and recruitment, we stepped into a new role for EMERGE 2022: interviewer. We worked alongside the Financial Health Network’s video team to speak with dozens of attendees about their experiences, producing a rich library of bite-sized videos to support future campaigns.
Results
A Longtime Partnership Paves the Way for Growth
Over the last 7 years, Statement has helped to position EMERGE as the meeting ground for the growing financial health movement. The success of EMERGE spurred the Financial Health Network to bring Statement into all aspects of its branding and communications. Today, Statement supports research production, external communications, special campaigns, and more, working seamlessly as an extension of the Financial Health Network’s team.
EMERGE serves as a front door to the Financial Health Network – a way for professionals to connect with others across the movement and learn how the organization can support their own financial health journeys. Thanks to a brand that’s stayed responsive to its audience’s changing needs, EMERGE has seen a growing number of influential leaders walk through that front door.
