2024: Every Entry A Winner: Nine Awards Secured!
Recognizing excellence in film, design, print, and digital across multiple company initiatives
About the Awards
MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communication professionals. Please see below for entries, descriptions and team recognition!
Platinum Winning Entries
Lonely Mitten
Our 2023 holiday greeting was shared with clients, prospects, partners, and employees alike. Inspired by the generous spirit of the season, it told the heartfelt story of a kind gesture made from one stranger to another. Its landing page highlighted our 40% contribution to the Stowers Institute, and invited viewers to submit their name and email for a chance to win a charitable contribution of their choosing.
Recognition: Rachel Stura, Tony Foster, Sophia Nelson
What Are You Doing
Developed specifically for the ACC, these TV ads featured golfers performing odd rituals to great results, creatively highlighting our unique value proposition in the process. The message? No matter what you’re doing, if you invest with us, you’re also benefiting the lives of millions around the world. Given our investors are already doing everything they can for themselves and the world, these spots celebrated them doing whatever else they wished.
Recognition: Wylie Kain, TiNY agency partner
Gold Winning Entries
All. The. Things.
This direct mail and social media campaign promoted our Digital Advice offering to our younger PFS audience. This campaign directly acknowledged the stress of their harried lives, and offered up Digital Advice to check one very important “thing” off their list: investing for the future.
Recognition: Rachel Stura, Pam Murphy, Tony Foster, Libby Moss, Travis Mulligan, Tim Scherer, Chris Manemann, Sam Kearns, Piper Kilgore, Britt Lane, Robert Wellman
Mulligan
These print ads appeared in the 2024 ACC pairings guide. They make a humorous (if a bit far-fetched) connection between the hazards of golf and those of investing. While mulligans are often granted in golf, the ads playfully warn there are no do-overs when investing for retirement.
Recognition: Debbie Ashmore, Jackie Malone
Picturing a Better Tomorrow
While not yet a formal regulatory requirement globally, outlining our track record on corporate sustainability efforts is a best practice we follow annually. Our objective was to drive awareness of how our unique focus on sustainability is driven by our purpose, while aligning more closely with industry terminology and metrics to make it easier for our audience to evaluate our efforts. This thoughtful design was crafted to entice the reader to learn about the important work we’re supporting at American Century.
Recognition: Sophia Nelson
Honorable Mentions
Beware Old Data
When it comes to advertising, simplicity wins. With Avantis, we had a simple competitive advantage to concept against: while many firms evaluate holdings annually, Avantis evaluates theirs daily. Our campaign Beware Old Data had fun highlighting this clear point of difference, resulting in an 86% increase in unique site visitors, a 46% increase in page views, and a 49% increase in produce page visits compared to the same period last year.
Recognition: Jackie Malone, Tony Foster, Kelly O’Donnell
Tech Expo Design
The first annual Tech Expo demanded an aesthetic that could simultaneously communicate the unique focus of the event while adhering to existing brand guidelines. The logo developed inspired templated materials that were leveraged for all promotional and on-site materials. This look and feel was designed to be leveraged year over year, to create efficiency.
Recognition: Sophia Nelson
8 Billion
There exists no more unique a brand story than ours. While we highlight it in as many marketing materials as we can, rarely is it the focus. Given this is the core point of difference in a more and more commoditized asset management world, this new brand flyer focuses exclusively on our relationship with the Stowers Institute, and gives our investors a proud role in that narrative.
Recognition: Pamela Murphy, Ky Miller
Financial Genius
One of the biggest challenges at industry events is luring conference goers into our booth for long enough to strike up a conversation. This interactive game is designed to do just that. The irresistible provocation “Are you a Financial Genius?” taps into the competitive spirit of most financial executives, the game itself teaches each player a little about us and the industry, and the charitable contribution award reinforces our key brand point of difference.
Recognition: Pamela Murphy, Sophia Nelson
2023 Entries
8 Entries, 8 MarCom Awards: Showcasing Our Award-Winning Marketing Campaigns
Platinum Winning Entry
Snow Globe Of Hope
Our 2022 holiday greeting was a digital experience that lifted spirits at the end of a tough year by highlighting progress made in key areas like health and the environment. Recipients picked one of five hopes for the future and then shook their phone or mouse. While snow filled up the screen like a snow globe, a positive statistic related to their chosen hope appeared. Once the snow fell, a utopian winter scene related to their hope was revealed, coupled with a related holiday message (e.g., “Wishing you a renewed 2023” for “reverse climate change.”)
Recognition: COFFEE Labs, Pilgrim Creative, Pamela Murphy, Kelly Chesley (former)
Gold Winning Entries
Golf Is Hard
This video promoted 2023’s ACC Fantasy Golf competition. Any golfer knows how frustrating golf can be, no matter how experienced you are. But Fantasy Golf? Simple. This lighthearted concept juxtaposed the difficulty of the sport with the ease of the fantasy competition.
Recognition: Rachel Stura, Tony Foster, Sophia Nelson, Tony Frerking
Mr. Pickles
This video promoted 2023’s ACC Fantasy Golf competition. While many celebrities who play in the tournament are great golfers, they aren't professional and can be unpredictable. This makes it challenging to pick a slam-dunk Fantasy team. This concept urges you to follow whatever strategy you wish to choose your players. Hint: Your cat may be better at it than you.
Recognition: Rachel Stura, Tony Foster, Sophia Nelson, Tony Frerking
American in Name Only
These brand ads support our Global Institutional business and were created to run in financial publications and in sponsored event collateral outside of the U.S. They creatively play off the confusion between our name (American) and our reach (global), using what some might consider a handicap instead to our advantage.
Recognition: Jackie Malone, Tony Foster
Your Life For Real
This social media campaign was part of a larger effort to fill at least 20 Investment Representative positions in a few short weeks. As our most likely candidates were recent college graduates, the team drafted off the popular social app BeReal. Job seekers got a sneak peek at a day in the life of a real American Century Investment Rep, which looked refreshingly different than what they likely expected. The campaign garnered strong interest, helping fill all positions on schedule!
Recognition: Pamela Murphy, Tony Foster, Sophia Nelson, Tony Frerking, Tim Scherer, Morgane Freeman
Honorable Mentions
Straight Talk
With an aptly named series, our very own Rich Weiss gives it to his listeners straight every Monday: what happened last week, and what we should pay attention to in the week ahead. All delivered in a way you'd never expect from an investment firm. Scheduled to launch in January, these new promotional ads are intended to match Rich’s tone and spirit and make tuning in to Straight Talk irresistible.
Recognition: 19 Below, Jackie Malone, Sophia Nelson, Tony Foster, Pamela Murphy, Rachel Stura
We’ve Got Your Back
This print ad appeared in the 2023 ACC pairings guide. It makes a simple connection between the way a caddy works with a golfer and the way American Century works with its clients: there for support every step of the way.
Recognition: Jackie Malone, Debbie Ashmore
One Bad Swing
This print ad appeared in the 2023 ACC pairings guide. It makes a humorous connection between the frustrations of golf and the frustrations of investing. While bad swings are unwelcome in both cases, they don’t have to be catastrophic, as long as you think long term.
Recognition: Pamela Murphy, Sophia Nelson