CFP Board Launches New Public Awareness Campaign: "IT'S GOTTA BE A CFP®"

Announces New Agency of Record BUNTIN

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CFP Board announced that it is launching a new public awareness campaign today to increase awareness of the CFP® certification mark and the importance of working with a CFP® professional. The 2023 campaign, "IT'S GOTTA BE A CFP®," will feature national broadcast and cable network television ads and includes a mix of advertising in various media channels, including streaming TV, streaming audio and digital venues.

CFP Board also announced that it has named Adweek-recognized "Top U.S. Ad Agency" BUNTIN as its new advertising agency of record. BUNTIN is an award-winning agency specializing in brand conviction. The Nashville-based firm developed the new campaign and is helping execute CFP Board's strategy for public awareness outreach, advertising, social media and digital content development, channel engagement/activation, and data reporting/optimization.

"This year marks the 50th anniversary of CFP® certification, and we are excited to launch this new public awareness campaign, working with BUNTIN as our new ad agency of record," said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. "By raising consumer awareness of CFP® certification as the standard for competent and ethical financial planning, we reinforce the message that CFP® professionals help more Americans achieve their financial goals."

The new public awareness campaign will highlight high-risk situations and the feeling of uncertainty and then contrast those scenarios with the confidence and security one feels when working with a qualified professional. All ads will feature the tagline "IT'S GOTTA BE A CFP®" and will drive consumers to the LetsMakeAPlan.org website to find a CFP® professional. The website is designed to empower consumers to make informed decisions when working with a financial advisor.

CFP Board will run TV ads on news, sports and entertainment media partners, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, the Golf Channel, ESPN, HGTV and the Food Network, through May 21. In addition to the television ads, the campaign includes streaming video on Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Apple TV and Roku, among other platforms, as well as radio ads that will also air through May 21. Search engine marketing and social media advertising will continue throughout the year.

"We're thrilled to identify new and innovative ways to increase awareness of the difference CFP® professionals can make in people's lives. CFP® professionals commit to CFP Board to put their clients' best interests first," said BUNTIN CEO Jeffrey Buntin, Jr. "We look forward to working collaboratively to show that CFP® professionals embody the standard of excellence in financial planning and deliver unique value in people's lives."

For the past decade, CFP Board has executed a consumer-focused public awareness campaign to raise awareness of the value and benefits of working with a CFP® professional. This year's paid media expenditure is more than $12 million, bringing the total CFP Board ad campaign investment over the past decade to approximately $150 million.

This year's campaign targets individuals aged 35 to 64 who are the primary decision-makers in managing their personal finances. Creation of the campaign included validation through national focus group testing.

The first new CFP Board TV ad spot can be viewed on CFP Board's Public Awareness Campaign & Toolkit webpage.

ABOUT CFP BOARD
CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public's benefit. CFP Board of Standards sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ certification — widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners — so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP® certification is held by more than 95,000 people in the U.S. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession's body of knowledge. 

ABOUT BUNTIN
With operations in Nashville, Indianapolis, Detroit, Chicago and Washington, D.C., BUNTIN is among the leading independent brand communications firms and an ADWEEK-recognized "Top U.S. Shop." The agency specializes in building Brand Conviction as a tool for achieving disproportionate client business results. In addition to its work with corporate clients, the agency operates a cause-branding division called AdHope that assists organizations in maximizing their social value through "great work that does good in our world." To learn more, visit buntingroup.com.

SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.