Summary
Ernst & Young (EY) wanted to redefine its 30,000-strong financial services division to create internal engagement and inspire organisational change. Marketing agency True sought to do this through repositioning the brand and tone of voice.
The result was a rallying call to staff, ‘Minds made for financial services’, a mindset and culture shift. The challenge was to communicate this proposition to both inform and engage employees across the organisation.
The solution was an integrated, multi-channel communications campaign that used events, videos, posters, lift and mirror decals, and internal advertising with one consistent creative platform. EY’s people were put at the heart of the communications.
The campaign initially launched in the UK and captured the attention of EY staff, helping them apply meaning to what they do and aligning them to one shared set of principles.
The engagement in the campaign was so successful it’s now being rolled out across 19 different markets in EMEIA.
About EY
EY is one of the world’s largest professional services firms and a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services with a simple brand purpose – to build a better working world.
Its dedicated financial services division is made up of 30,000 people, spanning 19 different markets.
Strategy
The financial services industry touches so many lives and shapes so many futures. But with wider socio-economic and political issues, as well as the 2008 global economic downturn, it’s fighting a tarnished reputation.
This represented a huge opportunity for EY to help financial services organisations prosper in one of the most difficult times for the sector in modern history.
Professional services communications are often rational and corporate, with a proliferation of buzzwords like ‘innovation’ and ‘change’. Competing firms look and sound the same and offer very similar services. Because of this, brand communications play a big role in creating competitive advantage. And because each EY consultant is effectively a sales person for the organisation, having a clear identity that is lived and breathed by internal teams is paramount.
Objectives of the campaign
The company wanted to create a brand platform to differentiate EY financial services. The platform needed to:
- Inspire organisational change by aligning employees to a core set of principles.
- Align to EY’s global purpose of building a better working world.
- Define its financial services’ brand positioning, tone of voice and visual identity to cut through the noise of other EY communications.
- Help employees understand the new brand initiative, so that they would be enabled to take it to market.
- Support the development of a wide range of materials, both printed and digital, for launch with collateral tailored to each service line.

The target audience
EY staff, from graduates to partners.
Media, channels or techniques used
The idea
EY’s services had evolved beyond accountancy and tax to consultancy across all aspects of its clients’ businesses, including cyber security and large tech transformation projects.
This evolution meant EY had to employ a broad and diverse range of experts to solve the many business challenges its clients face. This naturally created a varied culture.
True identified four key areas that differentiated EY:
- They make sure what they do today counts tomorrow.
- They have a dedicated financial services division.
- They deliver exceptional levels of client service.
- They innovate through their diverse and inclusive thinking.
These were essential in helping internal teams understand their difference – but it wasn’t enough to differentiate financial services at a brand level. True realised that the ultimate difference was its diverse set of people, the very people it needed to communicate to. Armed with this strategic insight they developed a brand platform that put its people front and centre.
‘Minds made for financial services’ was born.
They reinvigorated the visual brand identity by using real profiles of EY employees.
They art directed a large suite of warm, inspiring and powerful imagery that represents the diverse thoughts of EY financial services’ team.
To instil the brand platform into the organisational culture, they created themed communications around supporting and developing the mind. These included ‘food for thought’ – snack desk drops, Spotify playlists for mindfulness, mind training with brainteasers and a ‘thought of the day’ email series.
This year, EY is introducing a ‘Mind Hackathon’ where the entire financial services organisation will dedicate their minds for 24 hours to tackling one of society’s biggest issues. The best solutions will be submitted pro bono to the relevant organisations.
The media
EY carefully chose different channels to optimise the creative and effectively engage its audience. This included a broad range of internal advertising, digital and online, internal social media (using Yammer), shareable content and tactical executions.
A broad range of additional touch-points were created to capture the internal team’s imagination. These included webinars, lift decals, banners, bathroom and mirror decals, desk drops and ‘brand story packs’. These embedded the messaging everywhere employees went.
The entire corridor leading up to the EY building was taken over to communicate with staff on their way to the Canary Wharf office. The new platform, which consisted of 23 different placements and executions, spoke directly to EY’s employees and also competitors, clients, and prospects.
All its communications drove the audience to the ‘Minds made for hub’ where EY hosted case studies, testimonials and research.
Timescales of the campaign
- Research and planning: May–June 2017.
- Production: July–September 2017.
- Campaign live (awareness): October 2017-present.
This is the first phase of what will be a long-standing brand initiative, which is now set to launch across 19 further markets.
”’Minds made for financial services’ has helped us to align our internal teams and rally everyone behind a shared purpose. What’s more, the proposition is authentic to EY and helped us communicate our difference to our teams and clients alike”
Sarah Williams, brand & external communications leader, EY FS