Investment Answers – Infographic Series
Investment Answers, a financial advisory firm, was looking for a way to make the complexities of investments, taxes and retirement planning easier to digest. Not only did they want to make these important financial elements more comprehensible, they wanted to make it, dare we say, entertaining.
Having a relationship with the Kentucky-based business since 2011,
BatesMeron understood the passion, commitment and greater purpose behind Investment Answers’ endeavor: to help people find certainty, answers and guidance in their financial wellbeing. Annuities, estate planning, probate and taxes are just a few of the topics that people often deem overwhelming or complicated when it comes to finances.
With complex terms and valuable pieces of information being shared throughout a crowded industry of financial advisors, we needed to find a forum and tone that was different and sharable—yet still meet compliance of the financial advisory industry.
SERVICES: Campaign Theme / Campaign Messaging / Visual Identity / Print Campaign / Digital Campaign
To step away from traditional channels, like white papers, sell sheets and PowerPoint decks, we decided to combine our love for illustrating and storytelling—and what says illustrated stories like superhero comic books?
The outcome of our brainstorm was a series of comic-inspired infographics that put the complexities of financial planning into terms anyone can understand. They not only ease communications between advisor and client, but also create a teachable moment between client and others. The comic book style makes information far easier for clients to retain, so they can then use them as teaching devices for the people they are growing wealth for: their families.
Designed to be an ongoing collection of adventures, we used this format to introduce investment and insurance-themed characters and topics.
Each comic works as a chapter in the growing story, but also has endless possibilities as a standalone piece for newsletters, social media or conversation starters on any platform.
Although The New Yorker initially inspired the flat illustrative style of the comic, we wanted to create more depth with dynamic hand-drawn characters, layers and unique textures. The tone of each story is reflective of Investment Answers’ warm, respected and knowledgeable brand.
Investment Answers’ Chief Operations Officer, Kelly Terlau, played an integral role in the development of the series, providing insight that allowed our team to push each story and character further. Some of our stories include Fund Faceoff, The Adventures of Captain Annuity, Lieutenant Life Insurance and The Planner, thrilling tales of heroes born and hurdles overcome in the world of financial planning.
While a sense of fun and adventure is built into every story, the series makes investments and finances less intimidating and helps our audience understand the importance of working with a trusted financial planner.
“The infographics have allowed us to take difficult concepts and distill them down to their very essence—which has been great for our administrative and sales teams. We are now able to tell our story in a visually compelling way to clients, peers and leads. They’ve helped position us as thought leaders in our industry and continuously challenge us to find new ways to share our message and mission.”
