Celebrity signing for an unsung brand - will it work?

I've given up hope of ever engaging Australians in the subject of retirement funding - almost! Obviously, the younger you are, the less relevant it is - at least conceptually. It's even tougher when you're an unsung brand, unknown beyond your own customer base and unwilling and/or incapable of finding the big bucks necessary to turn a backwater brand into Niagara Falls.

Not that our brand has too many fundamental problems. The fund is generally well regarded by those who are engaged with, or aware of, it. It's just that we don't register on the wider consumer awareness meter.

But back to the subject. No one will ever be able to accuse me of not trying to improve engagement with our business. Along with the launch of a new website from 1 April (yes, it is April Fool's day, but the launch will happen!), I have decided to embed a 'TV' channel. That's not a channel for transvestites, but an online television 'experience' that includes interviews with various industry bods conducted for us by a reasonably high-profile Aussie TV presenter and journalist.

The best endorsement I have for the idea so far is a remark from one of the production crew that, having watched the inaugural interview series, he had learned a lot about superannuation. If that is a universal response we get from visitors to our website in the months ahead then - Eureka! - we may have hit a pot of gold. Hopefully, consumers will recall where they learned all that stuff and turn to us when they next decide to seek advice or invest their savings.

It's going to be an interesting experiment, supported by a bit of upfront PR about the involvement of our celebrity. I'll let you know in a few months how it all goes - initial response from the PR and any follow-up research outcomes. Let's hope Google Analytics is up to the task!

If you're web surfing any time after 1 April, take time to visit our website http://www.equipsuper.com.au/ and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers