INNOVATIVE CAMPAIGN EDUCATES WHILE GIVING CHANCE TO WIN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT CONSULTATIONS
02/09/05- Click! Weekly

Innovative campaign educates while giving chance to win practice management consultations

Global investment services firm Russell Investment Group has launched the "LifePoints® Transition Mission", an innovative, eight-week online information campaign for Canadian's investment advisor community. The multi-stage entertainment and education campaign, managed by digital agency N5R, challenges investment advisors to compete to win an in-depth practice management consultation and business support from Russell.

"The investment market is highly saturated, meaning a lot of options for investors, and an overwhelming amount of information for advisors," says Joe Perrin, President and Managing Director Russell Canada. "We were looking for a way to reach and engage with advisors - rather than just sending them stacks of brochures - in order to educate them about our LifePoints® Portfolios with the ultimate objective of enhancing their clients' portfolios and simplifying their business."

To generate interest and awareness in LifePoints® Portfolios, a series of strategically diversified funds that give advisors access to a suite of proven money managers, N5R developed the "LifePoints® Transition Mission," a unique, integrated direct mail and online information campaign. Russell partner investment advisors were invited via personalized postcards to visit their individualized campaign web address (e.g. JohnSmith.getsthepoint.com) to register and participate. Once registered, advisors are taken through four two-week stages during which they can earn points by quickly and correctly answering quiz questions about LifePoints®.

To educate advisors about LifePoints®, question answers can be found by exploring the Russell Canada site, taking an investment literacy quiz, researching Russell's expert insights and studying its investment approach. They can add more points by referring fellow advisors.

"This is an exciting new innovation in digital marketing for financial services and unlike anything we have done before," says Roman Bodnarchuk, CEO of N5R. "The campaign combines a unique mix of product awareness, education and e-learning and is based on an auction-style points system, using a cumulative scoring process rather than a random draw, making it fun and motivating for participating advisors."

By visiting their site's "Winner's Circle," advisors can see a dynamically updated list of the 25 top-performing advisors and their scores, giving them an incentive to continue through the campaign to improve their standing. The final top 25 will be awarded a prize of in-depth practice management consultations and business support from Russell.

"Just as in Ebay, where shoppers can monitor if they are still the highest bidder, the auction-style points system allows participants to see where they stand at any time and work towards finishing at the top," says Bodnarchuk.

At the beginning of each two-week stage, direct mail pieces inviting partner advisors to join the promotion will be sent out, as advisors can join at any stage of the campaign and catch up. As well, active opt-in messaging - whereby participants will receive an e-mail reminding them of the beginning of the next stage and providing an update of their current standing - will support the campaign.

The campaign began on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 and concludes on Monday, March 14, 2005. On March 21, 2005, the top 25 scorers will be awarded in-depth practice management consultations and business support from Russell. The package includes quarterly practice management, analysis and consultation, two client seminars hosted by the advisor and a Russell regional manager, access to special conference calls, due diligence consultation on their business, LifePoints® easel-back presentation kit, marketing tools and communications support.