Pensions · fintech
Dunstan Thomas
Creative PR campaigns to gain customer insights and re-position Dunstan Thomas as an expert in financial consumer digital engagement
Dunstan Thomas Holdings is a fast-growing IT software and consultancy business with over 30 years’ expertise in the pensions market and a highly sophisticated suite of bespoke front and back office software tools. Its original expertise was in calculation engines and pensions illustrations capabilities for pension providers and platforms, but it had built a much wider range of solutions helping companies meet IT and regulatory compliance challenges, particularly following the acquisition of financial services portal specialist Digital Keystone in late 2015.
Devising a consumer insights-led customer engagement campaign
Linked to a desire to increase market opportunities for Digital Keystone’s Adaptive Portal technology, Agility PR gained CEO-level agreement to develop a PR campaign designed to shine a spotlight on the importance of digital customer engagement for investment and pensions providers, platforms and wealth managers.
Agility PR proposed an ambitious consumer market research-led campaign, surveying a representative nationwide sample of millennials aged 23 to 36 on their financial ambitions, savings habits and use of technology. Insights from the 1,000-person survey were launched to the pensions and investment trade media and personal finance nationals, garnering more than a dozen pieces of significant coverage and numerous interview and speaking opportunities.
Video vox pop highlights
To draw attention to key insights, Agility PR directed a four-day video shoot interviewing millennials in London, Bristol and Liverpool, producing one ‘highlights’ video and four shorter vignette videos highlighting specific behaviours, giving the campaign a highly effective edge.
A second successful campaign, and results
Such was the success of this campaign that Agility PR gained the go-ahead for a second, focused on the financial status and retirement plans of Baby Boomers aged 54 to 71. A press release of findings and a 45-page report generated significant coverage across all key IFA trades.
The campaigns served to highlight that Dunstan Thomas had stepped beyond its core back office administration and calculation engine capabilities into digital engagement and transformation projects. Significant orders followed as perception became reality, and the business went from strength to strength.
“Miles at Agility PR has an ability to accurately read where we are heading. He then makes sure that our PR, media and marketing content is fully-aligned with that positioning. Like all fintech businesses this is a moving target, so the trick is to use creative campaigns, combined with fresh and insightful content to ‘thought lead’, helping us increase our profile and engage more deeply with both prospects and existing customers alike.”
Chris Read, Founder and CEO of Dunstan Thomas (until February 2024 after the acquisition of Curtis Banks by Nucleus Financial)