Lost in Transaction: Why Gen Z Isn’t Buying Into Traditional Finance

Let’s be honest—Gen Z is a bit of an enigma. Sure, they’re glued to their phones, creating TikTok trends faster than we can keep up, but when it comes to money and success? They’re playing a much more traditional game than we might expect. Owning a home, financial security, and kicking back into a comfy retirement are still very much on their radar. The twist? They’re fully clued-in to the harsh realities of achieving those dreams, making them smart, pragmatic, and just a little bit skeptical. 

That’s why The Gate, a leading creative shop, joined forces with pioneering insights and strategy partner Freemavens to conduct a comprehensive study across five key markets: the U.S., U.K., Spain, Japan, and Hong Kong. Why? To help marketers understand how Gen Z approaches success and finances around the world. If brands want to stay relevant, they need to get to grips with how this generation thinks about money. 

Freemavens, with their pioneering Tribes tool, took a deep dive into over 1.25 million global Gen Z conversations from across unprompted social listening and search data. This isn’t your typical survey—it’s about tapping into real, authentic conversations to uncover what truly drives this generation. Through this data-driven approach, combined with in-depth qualitative insights from over 50 Gen Z participants across the globe, we uncovered four distinct “tribes” that reveal how Gen Z defines success, what they value, and how they approach their finances. 

Pragmatists (41%): These are your “play it safe” types. They stick to what they know works—following traditional routes to financial security and life milestones like buying a house or having a family. 

• Bon Vivants (30%): Life is meant to be enjoyed, and these folks prioritize their well-being and passions. They’re more interested in living in the moment than in stacking their savings account. 

• Hackers (16%): These are the rule-breakers. They’re tech-savvy and look for quick, innovative ways to make money—think crypto, NFTs, and unconventional career paths. 

• Idealists (12%): For them, success means making a positive impact on the world. They’re balancing their personal goals with their desire to leave the planet better than they found it. 

Each tribe’s behaviours and interests tell a bigger story. Hackers are seven times more likely than the average Gen Zer (57% vs. 9%) to be obsessed with tech and computing—no surprises there. Idealists are 6.5 times more likely to keep up with the news (41% vs. 6%)—they’re not just focused on their own path but also on how the world is doing. Meanwhile, the Bon Vivants group is twice as likely to spend their time vibing on platforms like Spotify, Pinterest, and SoundCloud, because why worry about tomorrow when today sounds this good? 

Culture plays a big role, too. In the U.S., many participants identified with that All-American entrepreneurial spirit, which explains why Hackers were overrepresented from respondents in that country—they’re a perfect fit for a culture that thrives on tech and bold new ideas. Over in the U.K., people are all about work-life balance, making sure they’ve got time for their hobbies and well-being and as a result, we saw a greater number of Bon Vivants who make their home there.  

Spain and Japan leaned in hard into the Pragmatist mindset. Both countries see the value in sticking to traditional financial plans—steady and secure. But interestingly, Spain’s current economic and political climate has sparked a rise in Idealists who are looking for sustainable and impactful ways to secure their future. On the flip side, Japan’s economic struggles have nudged more young people into the Hacker mindset, pushing them to take bigger risks and think outside the box to get ahead. 

And then we have Hong Kong, where Hackers are absolutely thriving. This city’s fast-paced, tech-driven culture means young people are all about convenience and efficiency. They’re adopting new financial platforms and currencies with ease, ready to take on whatever the digital future throws at them. 

But even with this incredible qualitative research, what did we learn?  We found that most of Gen Z doesn’t trust traditional financial institutions. Many don’t know where to start when it comes to saving or investing, and they’re turning to alternative sources—hello TikTok and YouTube influencers—to get their advice. That’s a huge, missed opportunity for the financial industry, which is still failing to meet Gen Z where they are. 

In the end, while Gen Z might share some traditional aspirations, it’s clear they’re not a one-size-fits-all generation. They’re playing the game on their own terms—pragmatic, cautious, and fully aware of the obstacles in their path—but their strategies for navigating those challenges vary wildly. Whether they’re sticking to traditional routes, embracing a more carefree lifestyle, pushing the boundaries with tech innovation, or aligning their success with social impact, each tribe has its own unique approach. Brands that want to stay relevant can’t afford to treat Gen Z as a monolith. Understanding these distinct mindsets and the ways each group is reshaping the world around them is key to building meaningful connections with this diverse and dynamic generation. 

For more on the study, take a look at the infographic below. Want to dig deeper into what makes Gen Z tick? Reach out to our team at The Gate to explore how we can work together. 

View fullsize

Breaking New Ground: A Conversation with The Gate NY’s David Bernstein

In the bustling heart of New York City, The Gate NY has emerged as a creative powerhouse under the visionary leadership of Chief Creative Officer David Bernstein. Known for its innovative campaigns in financial services, insurance, and energy sectors, the agency has navigated its early challenges to establish a strong foothold in the advertising landscape.

From humble beginnings with low brand recognition to securing major accounts like State Street SPDR ETF, The Gate NY has continually evolved, embracing both creative audacity and strategic ingenuity.

In this exclusive interview for the Creativepool Magazine, Bernstein shares the story of the agency's ascent, the unique challenges faced, and his aspirations for the future of advertising. Join us as we delve into the journey of a firm that’s redefining the boundaries of creative advertising while championing the spirit of resilience and innovation.

What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?

In the early days, we had such a low profile, it was hard to get into pitches. There weren’t many clients who’d ever heard of us.

What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?

In the early days, we had such a low profile, it was hard to get into pitches. There weren’t many clients who’d ever heard of us.

Now that we’ve had some success in the financial services, insurance and energy business, we’d like to get a shot at larger, more global brands in those sectors (while still retaining our current clients).

Which was the first huge success that you can remember?

Winning the State Street SPDR ETF business from DDB. It was ten times larger than any account we had at the time and gave us a chance to do work on a national and, eventually, international stage.

What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?

We’re currently producing a campaign for a new carbon removal company. But it doesn’t go live until September. So, if all goes well, we’ll be able to enter it in Creative Pool’s award show next year.

Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?

Like most ad agencies, our creative process starts with seeing what the competition is doing and crafting a strategy that stakes out some new and interesting area.

This, of course, is followed by a lot of staring off into space and idle chit-chat until someone blurts out a good idea. The truth is, our creative process isn’t all that unique. But I’d like to think our creative people are.

How has COVID-19 affected your company?

Like everyone else, we learned to work remotely. Which is something we still do on Mondays and Fridays. But it’s nice to be back in the office. There’s an energy and comradery you just can’t duplicate on a Zoom call.

Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?

The usual suspects. Wieden + Kennedy. Adam and Eve. Droga 5. TBWA/Media Arts Lab. And Mischief.

What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?

My tip is, only pitch accounts you’re 100% committed to winning.

Because if you can only give it 50% of your attention, you probably won’t be successful. And you will have wasted all that time in a losing effort.

What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?

My hope? That industry insiders will stop writing articles about the death of advertising. As long as people have products to sell, agencies will figure out a way to sell them.

Can you share a defining moment in your company's journey that shaped its identity or direction?

We did an ad for the agency with the headline “Death to all sacred cows.” It spoke about all the sacred cows of the advertising business and how our agency was planning to kill them.

Disney’s Hyperion Books saw the ad and asked us to turn that ad into a book (covering the entire business world, not just advertising). A year later it was in the stores. Not just in the States, but around the world. It got our agency off the ground and helped up win some new business along the way.

Can you describe a project that challenged your team creatively and how you overcame any obstacles?

Financial Service advertising is filled with verbal and visual tropes. So when we had a chance to pitch the Federated Hermes business, we started with one simple goal: Don’t do that.

Research discovered Federated Hermes puts their investments through a ruthless vetting process before they offer them. So, to visualize that idea, we compared the stress tests consumer products go through to the ones their financial products do through. Which not only allowed us to dramatize their point of difference. It helped us avoid all those visual and verbal tropes of the category.

Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?

Dave Dye’s “Stuff from the Loft” blog and podcast for inside-the-industry inspiration.

And Malcolm Gladwell’s “David and Goliath” book for outside-the-industry inspiration.

Gen Z: Personal & Professional Success Thought Leadership Preview

Gen Z is a priority consumer group across the marketing industry. By most estimates GenZ will account for 30% of the U.S. workforce and $33 trillion in income by 2030. Much has been assessed and written about them, particularly with regard to their social media behavior, their mental health and cultural attitudes, and their buying habits across consumer categories.

However, there’s still much to understand about them when it comes to their beliefs and approach to securing their personal and professional futures. That’s why in Q1 of 2024, we’re fielding a robust research project culminating in multi-dimensional thought leadership content that will look at how this generation defines success, how they plan for their future (or don’t), what they believe to be the best behaviors and actions toward facilitating and securing success, and their key sources of influence that help them define and plan for what they want.

Our research will uncover answers to the following questions:

· How does Gen Z define success? How much do they desire material markers of success (financial security, well paying job) versus emotional markers (overall happiness and wellbeing, sense of purpose)? How do they balance the two categories and how are these categories interrelated?

· What inputs influence Gen Z’s definition of success? Friends/family? Social media platforms? Teachers/professional mentors? Influencers? Industry thought leaders?

· What tools and resources does Gen Z deem valuable to help achieve their definition of success? How does on-going education play a role? Financial planning and investment?

· How does GenZ spend, save, invest, and think about money?

· How does GenZ think about/plan out their career?

· What are GenZ’s views on engagement higher education (was/is it worth) advanced degrees, continuing education, etc.?

· What are the different sources they use to keep themselves educated, up-to-date on all the latest trends in their chosen profession?

We’re confident this research will lend exciting, novel insights to the Gen Z discourse. For our existing clients, this research will help them “take bigger leaps with fewer steps” when it comes to communicating to this generation in innovative, creative and effective ways.

#CompanySpotlight on The Gate NY (Creativepool)

This week, we’re heading across the pond to speak to David Bernstein, Chief Creative Officer at The Gate NY.

How was your company born and where are you based?

Our company was born 151 years ago. And while its name and ownership has changed a few times, its home base has always been New York.

What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?

In the early days, we had such a low profile, it was hard to get into pitches. There weren’t many clients who’d ever heard of us. Now that we’ve had some success in the financial services, insurance and energy business, we’d like to get a shot at larger, more global brands in those sectors (while still retaining our current clients).

Which was the first huge success that you can remember?

Winning the State Street SPDR ETF business from DDB. It was ten times larger than any account we had at the time and gave us a chance to do work on a national and, eventually, international stage.

What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?

Pitching (and hopefully, winning) business with our sister companies in the MSQ network.

Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?

Like most ad agencies, our creative process starts with seeing what the competition is doing and crafting a strategy that stakes out some new and interesting area. This, of course, is followed by a lot of staring off into space and idle chit-chat until someone blurts out a good idea. The truth is, our creative process isn’t all that unique. But our creative people are.

How does your team remain inspired and motivated?

Beyond following and entering the global award shows, we also get regular presentations from our sister MSQ companies. So we get to see the latest thinking in AI, experiential campaigns and the metaverse.

How has COVID-19 affected your company?

Like everyone else, we learned to work remotely. Which is something we still do on Mondays and Fridays. But it’s nice to be back in the office. There’s an energy and comradery you just can’t duplicate on a Zoom call.

Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?

The usual suspects. Wieden + Kennedy. Adam and Eve. Droga 5. And TBWA/Media Arts Lab (for the Apple work).

What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?

My tip is, only pitch accounts you’re 100% committed to winning. Because if you can only give it 50% of your attention, you probably won’t be successful. And you will have wasted all that time in a losing effort.

How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)

We try to increase our odds getting clients through self-promotion (like the Apology Tour campaign we did to celebrate our 150 birthday), social media, newsletters, updating the search consultants and working with our sister companies in the MSQ network.

What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?

My hope? That industry insiders will stop writing articles about the death of advertising. As long as people have products to sell, agencies will figure out a way to sell them.

Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?

Dave Dye’s “Stuff from the Loft” blog and podcast for inside the industry inspiration. And Malcolm Gladwell’s “David and Goliath” book for outside the industry inspiration.

One Equity Partners to Acquire MSQ Partners, a Marketing & Digital Transformation Group (Business Wire)

One Equity Partners ("OEP"), a middle market private equity firm, today announced it has acquired next generation creative and technology agency group MSQ Partners ("MSQ" or "the Group"). The acquisition will serve as a platform for further consolidation within the tech-enabled marketing solutions and digital transformation sector.

Founded in 2011 through a management buyout and headquartered in London, MSQ combines best in class tech and creative capabilities into one multi-disciplinary offering to deliver marketing solutions across the full range of a client’s C-suite priorities or through engaging specialist standalone services through its 11 agencies. With over 1,200 employees across 13 worldwide offices, its client base spans several industry sectors, including telecom, financial services, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and food and beverage, helping them to attract and retain customers.

"We are pleased to partner with MSQ to support the Group in its goal of becoming an international digital transformation champion and a leading technology-based creative services and marketing solutions provider," said Dr. Joerg Zirener, Senior Managing Director, One Equity Partners. "MSQ is well-positioned to benefit from strong industry dynamics as customers engage more with businesses via digital channels and market dynamics reshape the advertising and marketing industry."

OEP has an established track record of partnership with IT service and digital transformation businesses, where the firm applies industry expertise to lead transformational acquisitions and organic growth investments to drive growth in technological capability, geographic presence, and market share. In Europe, OEP’s track record includes investments and transformational combinations like Crayon, Engineering Ingegneria, Enthus, Kirey Group, Lutech, and VASS.

"OEP will leverage its deep industry expertise and strong network in the digital sector across Europe and the US to scale the business," said Tim Borneck, Vice President, One Equity Partners. "We believe that through operational expertise and M&A, MSQ can continue to grow as a business and increase cross-selling opportunities among clients to become a differentiated platform in the space."

"One Equity Partners is the perfect investment partner for us as we seek to scale MSQ further and expand the Group’s market presence and geographic reach," said Peter Reid, CEO of MSQ. "Additional resources provided by OEP’s expertise across the technology sector will allow us to build on our digital transformation and tech-enabled marketing and creative solutions foundations as large brands seek to further understand the customer journey and enhance the customer experience."

About One Equity Partners

One Equity Partners ("OEP") is a middle market private equity firm focused on the industrial, healthcare, and technology sectors in North America and Europe. The firm seeks to build market-leading companies by identifying and executing transformative business combinations. OEP is a trusted partner with a differentiated investment process, a broad and senior team, and an established track record generating long-term value for its partners. Since 2001, the firm has completed more than 300 transactions worldwide. OEP, founded in 2001, spun out of JP Morgan in 2015. The firm has offices in New York, Chicago, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. For more information, please visit www.oneequity.com.

About MSQ

MSQ Partners is an international group of creative agencies working for many of the world’s leading and emerging brands. The Company offers a broad range of marketing communications and related digital transformation and creative service offerings for consumer and B2B businesses, such as advertising, public relations, design, brand strategy, direct digital marketing and research. Learn more at www.msqpartners.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230612648469/en/

The Second Oldest Agency in the USA Marks 150 Years With Apologies (Adweek)

Next to J. Walter Thompson (now Wunderman Thompson), The Gate bills itself as the second oldest agency in the United States. The agency is marking 150 years of business with an apology tour, trying to win back old clients that fired them by highlighting faux retro campaigns and making amends.

“The Gate Apology Tour” features a handful of the clients the agency worked with over its long history, with a spokesperson recalling the campaigns that made the brands shine—and the ones that got them fired.

One for Scott Paper reminisces about The Gate working with the toilet tissue brand in the 1940s and 1950s, with successful campaigns like “War is Rough, Toilet Paper Shouldn’t Be” until the agency errantly made a billboard stating “The Number 1 Brand for Your Number 2s.” The spokesperson states that the brand had to fire them after that. The spot ends with text that says that the part about working with Scott during that period is true, but the rest is made up.

Similar treatments are given to dairy brand Borden, which The Gate made a blunder with “Lucy, the lactose intolerant cow,” and Inglenook Wines, where the agency made a terrible typo on a coupon that heavily discounted the wine and became a PR disaster.

The humorous apologies also invite the brands to come back to The Gate and start with a clean slate.

The Gate was actually founded in 1872 by Albert Frank and was initially named Mandel and Frank and based on 152 Broadway, going through a series of name and location changes before being rebranded as The Gate Worldwide in 2005.

The existing New York agency, which is now part of the global creative and tech group MSQ, is based at 71 Fifth Avenue, with sister offices in San Francisco, London and Edinburgh. Current clients include State Street Global Advisors, Nasdaq, BHP, Crowdstreet and National Grid.

The apologies, which also include spots for Cartier, Cunard Luxury Cruise Lines and McCormick Spices, will be hosted on The Gate’s website and social channels. Each film assures the brands’ current marketing teams that lessons have been learned—and The Gate welcomes their business back.

In a message to Buitoni Pasta, The Gate apologizes for their work on the brand in the 1960s, which accidentally made Americans believe that the business had ties to the Mafia. And in a message to Cunard, The Gate apologizes for the scandal that the agency president caused on a Cunard ship 100 years ago, with a Hollywood starlet and a strip shuffleboard campaign.

The farfetched stories highlight The Gate’s former clients, while looking forward to 150 more years.

IMA Launches Global Ad Campaign Highlighting The Need For Skilled CMAs In Businesses

Today, IMA^®, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, launched a new global, integrated advertising campaign in support of the CMA^® certification program. The multi-channel campaign was developed in partnership with The Gate, an international advertising agency and marketing services company, for the seventh consecutive year.

The ads look to empower accounting and finance professionalsto take control and explore how the CMA certification can help advance their careers. The videos and digital executions take an empathetic look at feeling invisible and being stuck in executing routine, daily tasks. They serve to inspire real, behavioral change among individuals to get to the next level, where they can drive strategic decisions, make an impact on their business, and step up to a leadership role. The message remains that accounting and finance professionals with a CMA will always be in demand and this year’s campaign emphasizes that the certification will make professionals visible to their colleagues, managers, and organizations.

“Our campaign taps into the insight that many accountants feel invisible at work and stuck in a slow-moving career. But if they step up and get their CMA, they’ll have the skills they need to feel seen and appreciated,” said David Bernstein, Chief Creative Officer, The Gate.

The video and digital work is accessible here:

https://www.us.thegateworldwide.com/work/stop-feeling-invisible

“At a time when companies are facing new challenges, rising costs, resource constraints, and looking at completely new ways of doing business, the skills of CMAs are more valuable than ever,” said Ellen Gurevich, CAE, CMO and senior vice president of marketing at IMA. “Employers need to have finance and accounting leaders who can step up to create insights and strategies to keep up with the pace of change and break through. CMAs are equipped to analyze and deliver results in ways that others cannot. They have the skills necessary to serve as strategic advisors in their organizations, and in turn, advance their careers.”

The CMA verifies mastery of the 12 most critical practice areas in management accounting, including planning and analysis, performance management, and risk management. Earning the CMA enables finance and accounting professionals to contribute actively to organizational strategy as business partners and to make the leap from more traditional and junior-level finance roles into more strategic leadership positions. This means that CMAs are well-positioned to make the leap from more traditional and junior-level finance roles into strategic leadership positions.

The campaign utilizes connected television, programmatic display, social media, streaming audio, search engine marketing, industry specific newsletters, and has global extensions in IMA’s key regions. There will also be a concurrent public relations campaign, and promotions on IMA’s website and social channels.

About IMA^® (Institute of Management Accountants)

IMA^® is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA^® (Certified Management Accountant) and CSCA^® (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis) programs, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. Twice named Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, IMA has a global network of about 140,000 members in 150 countries and 350 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imanet.org.

About The Gate

The Gate, New York is a full-service advertising agency. We take bigger leaps with fewer steps by blending strategy, creative, media and technology to make sure nothing gets in the way. So, when you find The Gate, you can walk through walls. This approach has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, energy, and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Edinburgh, and Shanghai. For more information, visit us.thegateworldwide.com.

Fast Growing Fin-Tech Company, CrowdStreet, Taps The Gate To Launch First Ever Brand Campaign

CrowdStreet, the leading online commercial real estate investment platform has appointed The Gate to be their first agency of record to build awareness, trust and interest in their brand.

The Gate will be responsible for growing CrowdStreet’s leadership position as the most trusted resource for alternative investing in the real estate sector and making it part of the mainstream financial conversation. CrowdStreet is the leading investment platform that provides accredited investors with the opportunity to diversify their portfolios by investing in institutional quality real estate across the country.  The Gate will be building brand marketing that seamlessly integrates with CrowdStreet’s existing demand-gen efforts.  Responsibilities include strategy development, positioning, creative development, media planning/buying and analytics.

The campaign, which launches today, was born out of a very simple but true insight.  Investing in something real matters. In a time where many alternative investment choices are intangible and even incomprehensible, real estate is something you can point to and be proud of.  It reminds us of our youth, when we collected other important assets like baseball cards and vintage vinyl. The video element of the campaign taps into this nostalgic look back and allows us to feel this way again.  The digital takes a slightly more graphic and pointed approach but uses the same logic and insight. Real investing for today’s investor. It light-heartedly mocks faddish culture and asks, “why buy an NFT of a building when you can buy a building?” or suggests “Invest in bricks and mortar, not smoke and mirrors.” Together these two elements touch an emotional chord and set-up CrowdStreet for a successful launch.

New work can be seen here:

https://www.us.thegateworldwide.com/work/invest-in-something-real

“We are delighted to be partnering with CrowdStreet at this very important time in their brand lifecycle. The aspirations and new product initiatives that are in the pipeline make this the right time to lay the foundation and position them for growth and sustained success.”

— Nancy Aresu, President of the Gate

The CrowdStreet win continues the strong momentum for MSQ here in North America. Since the start of the year the independent network acquired branding agency, Elmwood, launched its stand-alone U.S. media practice, Walk-In Media, and announced the global win of The CFA Institute.

“The Gate totally got us. It’s so rare in a pitch situation for an agency to hit it out of the park, but The Gate did. It was an easy choice. We are thrilled to be partnering with an agency that is so intuitive, agile and creative,” said Linda Lee, VP/Corporate and Brand Marketing.

“The Gate totally got us. It’s so rare in a pitch situation for an agency to hit it out of the park, but The Gate did. It was an easy choice. We are thrilled to be partnering with an agency that is so intuitive, agile and creative.”

— Linda Lee, VP/Corporate and Brand Marketing

About The Gate

The Gate, New York is a full-service advertising agency. We take bigger leaps with fewer steps by blending strategy, creative, media and technology to make sure nothing gets in the way. So, when you find The Gate, you can walk through walls. This approach has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, energy, and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Edinburgh, and Shanghai. For more information, visit us.thegateworldwide.com.

About CrowdStreet

CrowdStreet is the nation’s largest real estate crowdfunding platform, focused on bringing private real estate investments directly to individual investors. To date, we’ve launched over 656 deals, including both individual assets and funds. Some of the nation’s largest sponsors have turned to CrowdStreet to raise capital. Since 2014, our investor community has committed more than $3.41 billion in investments.Guided by our Investment Thesis, we’re committed to giving individual investors direct access to private real estate investment opportunities. Through our Marketplace, investors can compare and review dozens of deals across different asset classes and risk profiles, allowing them to choose the right investment opportunity for themselves and their portfolios. Our deal flow enables investors to build real estate portfolios with some of the nation’s most sought-after projects, backed by some of the nation’s most trusted sponsors. Each deal, and the sponsor behind them, undergo our objective review process for inclusion on the Marketplace. We share much of the information we gath

The Gate Launches a Membership Drive Campaign for The Military Officers Association of America

The Gate, a full-service advertising agency, just launched their newest campaign for long-standing client, The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), the nation’s largest and most influential association of military officers.

MOAA has 350,000 members and want to add to that number and retain the members they already have. So, The Gate created a campaign that attacked the challenge from both directions.

To add members, they came to a simple but powerful insight: Strength in numbers. A story that military officers would, no doubt, find compelling. Quite simply, the more members MOAA has, the more likely Congress will listen to them and that’s good for everyone.

In the digital video campaign, an aerial shot of thousands of military officers are depicted gathering into different symbolic shapes. Each of which represents one of the things MOAA is fighting to improve, such as health care, family programs and retirement pay. Once the point is made, officers can go to a “Join Now” page.

“Military officers have always fought for the greater good. In these videos, we found a powerful way to show it,” said David Bernstein, Chief Creative Officer at The Gate.

But, that was just half the job. Once on the site, what would entice them to join? And for existing members, what could be done to convince them to upgrade their membership and stay active? It’s the personal benefits members could get, if they were just more involved and the real benefits, both personal and financial, that others were already enjoying. “You know…a fear of missing out strategy,” Mr. Bernstein continued.

The Gate created a new webpage, in partnership with MSQ sister agency, twenty-six, that not only revealed many of those benefits. But showed how much money and how many officers had already used the benefits.

According to Nancy Aresu, President of The Gate, “It begs the visitor to question, if all these other officers are taking advantage of those benefits, what am I waiting for?”

The initiative not only gives officers a reason to join, but a reason to stay and have a deeper relationship with MOAA. Kathy Partain, MOAA’s Vice President of Membership and Marketing, commented, “The campaign puts the spotlight on the power of membership for the greater good and the individual good.”

The new campaign will launch nationally across multiple digital channels, including Roku, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as key internal communications vehicles to reach members.

The webpage can be found here: https://www.moaa.org/membervalue

The Strength in Numbers videos can be found here:

Stethoscope

https://vimeo.com/674522750

Dollar sign

https://vimeo.com/674522677

Family

https://vimeo.com/674522706

About The Gate

The Gate is a full-service advertising agency. We take bigger leaps with fewer steps by blending strategy, creative, media, and technology to make sure nothing gets in the way. So, when you find The Gate, you can walk through walls. This approach has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, energy, and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Edinburgh, and Shanghai. For more information, visit us.thegateworldwide.com.

About MSQ Partners

MSQ is one of the world’s leading tech-enabled marketing groups, helping brands earn emotional capital to attract, convert, retain, and grow valuable customers. It’s one of the world’s fastest-growing marketing groups, offering flexibility, choice and transparency to clients. Clients include Unilever, Stellantis, Vodafone, Mondelez, Coca-Cola and Zalando.

MSQ’s agencies incorporate Brave Spark (creative production studio), Elmwood (branding & design), Freemavens (research & insights), MMT Digital (Web & Digital Product Development), Smarts (PR and content), MBAstack (customer acquisition), Stein IAS (B2B marketing), The Gate (creative and media), Walk-In Media (full-service media) and twentysix (full-service digital). Clients can work with an MSQ agency on an individual basis, or with a joined-up team designed specifically around their needs.

Over 1000 people work at MSQ across 13 global offices. Unique to an international group of its scale and reach, almost 100 senior employees are shareholders in the group. In 2020 MSQ became one of the first marketing groups to be Carbon Negative, with further approved Science-Based Targets in place for 2030.

About MOAA

MOAA is the nation’s largest and most influential association of officers in the eight uniformed services. With 350,000 members from every branch of service — including active-duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired, and former officers, and their families and surviving spouses, they are a powerful force speaking for a strong national defense and representing the interests of military officers and their families at every stage of their careers. For more information, go to moaa.org.

IMA Launches Global Ad Campaign Highlighting The Demand For Certified Accounting Professionals

NEW YORK and MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants), the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, launched a new global, integrated advertising campaign in support of the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) certification program. The multi-channel campaign was developed in partnership with The Gate | New York, an international advertising agency and marketing services company, for the sixth consecutive year. The campaign utilizes TV, digital, social media, radio, and search engine marketing, including three TV spots, and has global extensions in IMA's regions.

The ads emphasize that the CMA "makes all the difference" and the rising demand for professionals who can turn data into strategic insights. This year's campaign takes humorous tones on the lengths recruiters, finance teams, and CEOs would go in order to have the best accounting and finance staff, specifically, individuals with a CMA. The message is that finance and accounting professionals with a CMA will always be in demand.

The ads are accessible here:

• Window Washers

• Cafeteria

• Blending In

"We're currently looking at a tight job market amid an economy rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Jeff Thomson, CMA, CSCA, CAE, IMA president and CEO. "Hiring managers are looking for finance and accounting talent with the ability to look beyond the numbers and gain insights where others cannot, and mounting job vacancies show they're not finding that talent easily. The CMA equips professionals to fill these roles, which is why this campaign focuses on the rapidly rising premium on certified finance talent and how the CMA can give an enormous boost to one's employability and career prospects."

The CMA instills in certified professionals the 12 most crucial practice areas in management accounting, including planning and analysis, performance management, and risk management. The goal of the certification is to enable finance and accounting professionals to contribute actively to organizational strategy as business partners, armed with data that drives decision making. This means that CMAs are well-positioned to make the leap from more traditional and junior-level finance roles into strategic leadership positions.

"CMAs are in such demand, companies often compete for them," said David Bernstein, Chief Creative Officer, The Gate. "So, in this campaign, we showed how far co-workers, clients, CFOs and recruiters will go in order to work with them."

The campaign will encompass digital and TV ads, a concurrent public relations campaign, and promotions on IMA's website and social channels.

About IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants)

IMA® is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) and CSCA® (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis) programs, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. Twice named Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, IMA has a global network of about 140,000 members in 150 countries and 350 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imanet.org.

About The Gate | New York

The Gate, New York is a full-service advertising agency. We take bigger leaps with fewer steps by blending strategy, creative, media and technology to make sure nothing gets in the way. So, when you find The Gate, you can walk through walls. This approach has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, energy, and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Edinburgh, and Shanghai. For more information, visit us.thegateworldwide.com.

Graphis profiles The Gate NY’s creative department.

Get to know our writers and art directors. Not just through reprints of some of our Graphis-winning work, but through answers to all the Graphis editorial board’s burning questions.

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The Gate becomes a carbon negative business.

After months of hard work, we’re delighted to announce that, as of today, The Gate is a Carbon Negative business. 

This means that we offset more CO2 than we generate. We will now continue to reduce our carbon emissions further through a series of initiatives instigated by our group MSQ’s global Carbon Negative Council, sharing best practice and providing staff with innovative ways to help them offset their own carbon footprint too.  

We’ve also committed to work with other businesses to help them offset their own carbon emissions, providing existing clients with quarterly carbon impact statements and ensuring carbon emissions are identified and offset ahead of any new project.

Nancy Aresu joins the Gate New York as president.

MSQ announces the hiring of Nancy Aresu as President of The Gate New York. Aresu will replace the retiring Beau Fraser, who will remain at the agency through the end of March to allow for a smooth transition.

Aresu brings to The Gate over 35 years of New York agency experience. Before taking this role, Aresu ran the New York office of Cramer-Krasselt, where she served as EVP/General Manager for five years. Prior to this, Aresu held various management roles at large agencies as Director of Client Services for Young & Rubicam Group and as EVP, Managing Director at Lowe Worldwide. In addition to her big agency experience, she spent fourteen years at independent agency, Margeotes Fertitta + Partners as a Partner and Director of Client Services.

Aresu says: “This opportunity allows me to return to a more nimble, integrated agency model with added support around the globe. I am honored to be joining such a dynamic marketing environment at a true tipping point in their growth.”

At The Gate New York, Aresu will oversee a team of 50 specialists, spanning strategy, creative, digital, media and analytics. She will partner with The Gate New York’s Chief Creative Officer David Bernstein.

Should your client’s tone of voice change when the culture does?

12/11/2020  By David Bernstein

We’ve all been taught to give the brands we represent one voice. It should be distinct, ownable and memorable. So whenever consumers hear it, they immediately know it’s you. But sometimes changes in the culture force us to reinvent that voice.

For Gillette, it was the #MeToo movement. They redefined their macho “The Best a Man Can Get” mantra to prove they could give men a softer side, not just a softer face.

For Nike, it was Black Lives Matter. They went from trash-talking jocks to politically charged preachers, spreading the gospel of inclusion with Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James.

Of course, this phenomenon is about adjusting to a shift in society, not just the marketplace. So it doesn’t only apply to the big brands, but the smaller ones.

For the past five years, we’ve created advertising campaigns for the Certified Accountant Management credential based on humor. Mostly at the expense of accountants who spend their days running the numbers instead of running the business. And it was working quite well, until the coronavirus happened.

With thousands of deaths and millions of people unemployed, we didn’t think making fun of less-credentialed accountants would seem very funny. So we began an exploratory to discover a kinder, gentler voice. One that didn’t point and laugh, but instead empathized, encouraged and inspired.

In 2019, we showed an accountant literally pound her head against her desk because she was bored doing audits. In 2020, we showed an out-of-work factory worker get his job back due to the skills of a CMA. Tonally speaking, a tectonic shift.

So, does changing a voice change the brand? Well, let me ask you this: Does talking one way to your friends and another way to your mother change your brand? We all have different sides to our personality. Serious. Silly. Thoughtful. Sarcastic. But underneath it all, we’re still the same person. The same brand.

And maybe that’s the point. (I knew I’d find one if I kept typing.) The voice of a brand can change, as long as the essence stays the same. It doesn’t matter if Nike says, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything” or “You don’t win silver, you lose gold.” Underneath it all, we still feel Nike telling us to just do it. Work harder. Dream bigger. We don’t care if the voice is yelling or whispering. It’s still Nike.

So the next time there’s a seismic shift in the culture, take a moment to analyze your client’s tone of voice. Does it fit mood of the country or fight with it? What does their audience need now? A laugh or a hug? Do they need to be cajoled or comforted? Seduced or inspired?

You need to pick a tone before you can write to it.

In the end, we’re not redefining a client’s voice as much as we are revising it to be sensitive to the times. Or at least not tone-deaf to them. Because the day social media accuses you of that is the last day you’ll be working for your client.

The Gate wins double gold in the Graphis Advertising Annual 2021 for two association clients.

NEW YORK – The Graphis Advertising Annual 2021  honored The Gate New York with two Gold Awards for their work on association campaigns for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

Graphis is committed to presenting and promoting the work of exceptional talent in design, advertising, photography and art/illustration.

The IMA campaign, called Scenes from an Office, won Gold within the education category for the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) certification program. The work started with the simple truth that ambitious accountants would rather connect the dots than count them. But to get those jobs, they need a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) credential. The campaign empathized the frustration they feel with their current job by visualizing a handful of idioms. Like having a “low ceiling” on their career, how audits feel like “pounding their head against a wall” and “wanting to crawl under the table” when they don’t know the answer to their boss’ question. The work can be found here.

The MOAA Officer to Officer campaign won Gold within the professional services category. MOAA advocates for all military officers across every branch of military, currently serving, transitioning and retired. Instead of just asking officers to become members of the association, we needed to show them why they should. The campaign started a year earlier with a series of videos where officers talk candidly about how they handle difficult and emotional situations. This year’s work was the evolution of the campaign, with topics that cover women leading in the military, living as a surviving spouse and a military family where the husband and wife both serve in the National Guard. The work can be found here.

“We love working with these two associations. And couldn’t be happier that our campaigns won a Gold award for each of them,” said Chief Creative Officer of The Gate, David Bernstein.

About The Gate
The Gate is a full-service advertising agency known for making considered purchases worth considering. Our panel of consumer, cultural and category experts helps us identify your “Why Axis”: why customers should choose your product or service over someone else’s. This expertise has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, mining, energy and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Edinburgh and Shanghai. For more information, visit thegateworldwide.com/ny.

About MSQ Partners
MSQ Partners is a group of creative agencies with 15 international offices. It comprises six agencies in total, spanning advertising, public relations, direct and digital marketing, design and brand strategy and B2B, and is the fastest-growing multi-disciplinary group in the UK. Clients are offered the choice of working with individual agencies or with a multi-disciplinary team designed around their specific needs. Unique to an international group of our scale and reach, our 70 most senior employees are all shareholders in the group, providing a strong incentive for effective collaboration across agencies.

About Institute of Management Accountants (IMA®)
IMA, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 90,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, NJ, USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit imanet.org.

About Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)

MOAA is the nation’s largest and most influential association of military officers. With 350,000 members from every branch of service – including active-duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired and former officers, and their families and surviving spouses, they are a powerful force speaking for a strong national defense and representing the interests of military officers and their families at every stage of their careers. For more information, go to moaa.org.

IMA makes new push to spotlight CMA value during tough economic times.

The Institute of Management Accountants has launched a new promotional campaign to highlight the role of Certified Management Accountants in real-world situations, taking a more serious tone in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic than its previous humorous advertising campaigns.

The campaign aims to demonstrate how accounting and finance professionals who earn a CMA can make a difference for their companies, clients, profession and their own careers.

The IMA developed the multi-channel campaign in partnership with The Gate | New York, an international advertising agency and marketing services company, for the fifth consecutive year. The campaign includes three TV spots that will be running as commercials (including ads appearing nationally on internet-connected TVs, as well as broadcast TV in some of the major media markets), along with websites, social media and through search engine marketing. Two of the commercials aired Monday night during the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, and during the NBA playoffs on Tuesday night. The spots will also be running on late-night TV and during news programs.

One spot, called First Day, is about a factory worker who is starting his first day back at work after being laid off. A CMA convinced his company to rehire its workers after doing data analysis to show how it would help the company. He is seen leaving for work early in the morning as his young daughter waves to him from the front window. Another heart-tugging spot called Baby Photos shows an obstetrician taking pictures of a new baby. Her hospital, which was scheduled to close down, stayed open because a CMA did a cost analysis to show why it should remain in business. She posts it next to photos of the hundreds of other babies she has delivered. The third ad, Anniversary, shows a shirt company manufacturer who turned to a CMA who helped streamline his supply chain to save money on making each shirt so he could keep his company running and celebrate a 50-year anniversary.

“We are super excited here at IMA,” said IMA president and CEO Jeff Thomson. “Year 5 of our ad campaign, for continuity and consistency, is in partnership with The Gate. The ad campaign, which is multichannel and multi-geography, is multifaceted. It has moved from tattoos and robots — messages with a little bit of a whimsical, comical view — to more heartwarming and genuine, emphasizing how accounting and finance professionals earning a CMA make a difference in their careers, in their organizations, for society as a whole. That message resonates now more than ever in the face of a global health pandemic and economic lockdowns.”

He thinks the ads strike the right tone for this time. “With these ads, whether it’s a CMA who helped prevent a hospital from closing or helped enable a multi-decade shirt manufacturer to keep operating, these are vignettes that testify to real-life stories of how we make a difference in this profession and CMAs in particular,” said Thomson (pictured). “It’s an awareness campaign. Even in the face of a pandemic, we grew the CMA program. This is all about upskilling and uplifting in some sense, given the circumstances. What better time than now to invest in your education and certification as a differentiator? What better time than now to uplift yourself and upskill yourself? That’s why we changed the tone and messaging around year 5 of our ad campaign to making a difference.”

The target audience for the campaign is young professionals, especially millennials. “They’re confident, they’re ambitious, and they’re achievement oriented,” said Ellen Gurevich, vice president of integrated marketing at the IMA. “They’re not only active on social media, but they’re active in their communities, and I think that they want to find meaning and creativity in their jobs. They look for companies and careers that match their values, and they’re doing work that contributes to their personal growth and how they want to see the world. In making contributions, big and small, they want to be meaningful and have an impact. In this new CMA campaign, we really tried to showcase how CMAs can and really do make a difference in their careers, companies and communities. In these uncertain times, we really want people to be aware of how becoming a CMA can make a real difference.”

The multichannel campaign aims to reach young accountants on the platforms they might be watching regularly. “We’re running on broadcast TV and on connected TVs for younger millennials who are the target audience, who are cutting the cable cord,” said Gurevich. “We’re making sure that we’re putting the commercials where they can see them, on places like YouTube TV, Sling and Roku, regardless of how they’re watching and streaming. We’re also putting digital ads online and on social media. We’re going to be running some CMA stories as well in some of the digital channels. The campaign is highly digital, which matches the way that the audience consumes the media.”

The spots have a more emotional feel than the previous ad campaigns for the CMA, which showed accountants getting CMA tattoos and interacting with human-like robots. “We’ve been working with The Gate for the fifth year, and we’ve gone from tattoos to robots, fun commercials, to a much more serious and meaningful tone, which matches the environment and the needs of the audience right now,” said Gurevich.

The IMA has needed to make adjustments during the pandemic, but it has seen growth in accountants becoming CMAs this year. “We’ve all been impacted in so many ways both professionally and personally from the pandemic,” said Thomson. “Fortunately we have a strong business continuity plan. Our fiscal year ends June 30, and we grew new CMAs in the pipeline 17 percent year over year. We grew total active CMAs by 19 percent year over year. Over five years, we’ve grown new CMA candidates, which is probably our most active leading indicator. Our five-year growth rate is 20 percent. That’s something like 82,000 total CMA candidates. There continues to be interest, and obviously the ad campaign is to spur that awareness and then interest and ultimately pull-through. We think, whether it’s a pandemic or other kind of disruption, managing the balance sheet, managing working capital, those are places where a CMA can make a difference. The growth rate through June 30, which is right in the heart of the pandemic, bears that out.”

The IMA reached a new all-time record of 13,519 CMAs granted in fiscal year 2020, with a 21 percent increase in the U.S. Total active CMAs grew to 43,190, another all-time record for the IMA. Total membership grew 3 percent, achieving yet another all-time record of 144,217 members.

However, there have been some declines as well, perhaps due to the pandemic. New CMA candidates, while growing 17 percent through the first six months, declined 22 percent for the full year. Similarly, exam registrations were up 30 percent through the first six months before declining for the full year by 25 percent. However, total CMA candidates are up 33 percent from June 2018 and now stand at 82,000, compared with 26,000 five years ago. Total active CMAs are up 51 percent from June 2018 and are now at 43,000. More than 15,000 CMA candidates have passed both exams and are now waiting on education or experience to become CMAs.

From a regional perspective, new CMA candidates grew in the Middle East and India by 15 percent, Europe by 32 percent, and the Americas by 13 percent, but that growth was more than offset by a decline of 35 percent in the Asia Pacific and China region.

The CMA ad campaign has been helping drive more interest in the certification. Four years after the campaign launched, the IMA has doubled the run rate of new CMA candidates in the U.S., with increased momentum in the past six months. The ad campaign yielded 28,000 new CMA leads this fiscal year, totaling over 87,000 new CMA leads to date since the beginning of the campaign.

The growth this year may stem in part from accountants who are out of work during the economic downturn and are looking to find a job or advance their careers with a new certification. Or they may have more time since they’re not commuting to pursue their education and can spend time at home gaining new credentials to get a better job.

“The CMA program has been growing anyway, pre COVID-19,” said Thomson. “But whether it’s a global pandemic or economic downturn, it definitely is an opportunity to take stock. We’ve significantly increased our online, on-demand virtual courseware. For example, we made our data analytics certificate program free for quite a period of time during the pandemic, in the spirit of being compassionate and empathetic. But absolutely, it’s easy to get into a different routine if you’re working from home, and many people are eliminating commuting time. What a great opportunity it is to upskill and uplift at the same time, for yourself and for your organization. Ultimately our profession greatly benefits society and the capital markets.”

Like the IMA with its Management Accounting Competency Framework and exams, the American Institute of CPAs has been evolving its certification with a new CPA Evolution initiative and revising the Uniform CPA Exam, in conjunction with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, encouraging more accountants to learn technology skills such as data analytics at a time when even public accounting firms are doing less hiring of CPAs. The pandemic has also forced many companies and firms to cut back on their accounting departments. Hiring of people with graduate-level business degrees like MBAs is expected to decline 60 percent this year, according to a survey by the Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Accociation, while accounting firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young are either retrenching or reconsidering their hiring plans for MBAs.

“None of us knows what the new trend line will be with COVID-19,” said Thomson. “Even the pre COVID-19 trend will continue in some way. There has been a clear move to consulting and advisory, technology and data analytics. When you look at the bodies of knowledge that the CMA covers, which includes technology and analytics, we believe it’s absolutely fit for purpose in the new age of digitalization. Some jobs have passed that are more transaction oriented, repetitive and repeatable, especially in audit and the close process. We think we’re at the right part of the long-term wave in terms of what the profession and society needs in terms of more insight, more foresight, more innovation, and we think the CMA body of knowledge is very much fit for purpose, especially in today’s environment.”

He sees the pandemic making this especially true now. “Now more than ever organizations have to do their best to invest in the future,” said Thomson. “At best we are a mission-oriented organization. The pandemic, make no mistake about it, has impacted the IMA and its people, just as it probably has nearly every person in the world. But it’s absolutely important that we invest in the future of our great profession. The profession makes a difference, and we individually and as CMAs make a difference. Investing in the future is tough, especially when you have to pay the bills and you’re dealing with furloughs and things like that. But this is ‘pay it forward’ in some sense for the IMA to continue to invest in not just the future of the CMA program, but we think it’s definitely benefiting society and the profession at large.”

IMA launches global campaign to highlight how CMAs make a difference in business.

IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, launched a new global, integrated advertising campaign in support of the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certification program. The multi-channel campaign was developed in partnership with The Gate , an international advertising agency and marketing services company, for the fifth consecutive year. The campaign utilizes TV, digital, social media, and search engine marketing, including three TV spots.

CMA Makes All The Difference – First Day

The ads emphasize how accounting and finance professionals who earn the CMA can make a difference for their companies, their clients, their profession, and their own careers. Different scenarios are depicted to show the valuable contributions CMAs make because of their skills and knowledge. They can see things others don’t and act on them. The campaign commercials will be running on spot broadcast TV, connected TV, and digital media.

“Instead of just telling viewers what a CMA does, we showed the impact a CMA can have,” said David Bernstein, Chief Creative Officer of The Gate. “This year’s work takes a more emotional approach, focusing on stories about CMAs who made a meaningful difference. Whether it’s by doing the data analysis to convince a factory to rehire the workers they laid off or the cost analysis to keep a hospital open.”

“This is our fifth year of new creative for the CMA. As the business and brand have grown, we have evolved our communications to reflect that change. This year, in today’s challenging business and social environment, we wanted to attract prospects with a more emotional approach,” added Beau Fraser, President of The Gate.

Anniversary: Discover the CMA Difference

These spots were produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a remote production from Poland. The Gate oversaw entire production in the U.S., while the two directors, Tom and Charlie Guard, worked from England and on site in Poland.

Management accountants benefit from a CMA certification through their gained ability to think strategically and the confidence to make smart decisions that impact businesses. As a gateway for finance professionals to move into more strategic roles, the CMA demands a mastery of the 12 most crucial practice areas in management accounting, including planning and analysis, performance management, and risk management. With a mastery of these practice areas, they are able to make a difference.

Baby Photos: Discover The CMA Difference

“In spite of the pandemic, interest in certifications around the world have increased as a differentiator from both a career and organizational perspective. It is for that reason that it is important to get these messages out now to accounting and finance professionals,” said Jeff Thomson, CMA, CSCA, CAE, IMA president and CEO.

The campaign will encompass IMA’s paid, earned, social, and owned media with the digital and TV ads, a concurrent public relations campaign of “making a difference,” and promotions on IMA’s website and social channels.

About IMA (Institute of Management Accountants)

IMA, named the 2017 and 2018 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) and CSCA®(Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis) programs, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 125,000 members in 150 countries and 300 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit: www.imanet.org.

About The Gate | New York

The Gate | New York is a full-service advertising agency known for making considered purchases worth considering. Our panel of consumer, cultural, and category experts helps us identify your “Why Axis”: why customers should choose your product or service over someone else’s. This expertise has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, mining, energy, and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Edinburgh, and Shanghai. For more information, visit thegateworldwide.com/ny.

About MSQ Partners

MSQ Partners is a group of creative agencies with 15 international offices. It comprises six agencies in total, spanning advertising, public relations, direct and digital marketing, design and brand strategy and B2B, and is the fastest-growing multi-disciplinary group in the UK. Clients are offered the choice of working with individual agencies or with a multi-disciplinary team designed around their specific needs. Unique to an international group of our scale and reach, our 70 most senior employees are all shareholders in the group, providing a strong incentive for effective collaboration across agencies.

The FCS Portfolio Awards recognizes The Gate’s creative with two silvers.

The Gate took home Silver in two categories at the 26th Annual Financial Communication Society Portfolio Awards for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA®). The agency won Silver for Best TV Campaign with IMA’s three spots, “Chair Slide,” “Low Ceiling” and “Head Banger.” Separately, “Chair Slide” took home Silver for Best TV Spot.

The Portfolio Awards are produced by the FCS to recognize excellence in financial advertising, collateral, digital and social media, public relations, event marketing and return on investment. The marketing and communications work honored were executed from September 2019 – June 2020.

“The Gate is proud to be recognized once again for its creative work among such admirable agency competitors like McCann and TBWA\Chiat\Day New York,” said Beau Fraser, President of The Gate. “We are also delighted to win for multiple spots.”

This is the fourth year in a row that the FCS Portfolio Awards have honored The Gate’s work for IMA.

Links to the winning work can be viewed here.

The FCS Portfolio Awards Gala is the largest and most prestigious show for financial marketers in the world. This year, there were 500+ entries, with Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies awarded for ROI, public relations, collateral, web sites and advertising in print, television, out-of-home, direct mail, interactive and multimedia categories. Winning entries were received from financial services providers, including investment firms, credit card companies, investment banks, brokerages and exchanges, insurance companies, mutual funds, ETFs, hedge funds, accounting firms, clearing corporations and commercial banks.

About The Gate

The Gate is a full-service advertising agency known for making considered purchases worth considering. Our panel of consumer, cultural, and category experts helps us identify your “Why Axis”: why customers should choose your product or service over someone else’s. This expertise has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, mining, energy and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, London, Edinburgh and Shanghai. For more information, visit thegateworldwide.com/ny.

About MSQ Partners

MSQ Partners is a group of creative agencies with 15 international offices. It comprises six agencies in total, spanning advertising, public relations, direct and digital marketing, design and brand strategy and B2B, and is the fastest-growing multi-disciplinary group in the UK. Clients are offered the choice of working with individual agencies or with a multi-disciplinary team designed around their specific needs. Unique to an international group of our scale and reach, our 70 most senior employees are all shareholders in the group, providing a strong incentive for effective collaboration across agencies.

About Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)

IMA, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 90,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, NJ, USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit imanet.org.

About the Financial Communications Society (FCS)

The Financial Communications Society (FCS), a not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to improving professional standards in financial communications. It provides professionals in the industry with a forum for gathering relevant information, sharing ideas and building relationships with industry colleagues. The FCS hosts the annual FCS Portfolio Awards for creative excellence in financial services advertising, as well as a monthly luncheon series featuring prominent industry speakers and numerous educational events. For more information on the FCS, please visit http://www.fcsinteractive.com or send an email to info@fcsinteractive.com.

Global Ace Awards recognizes The Gate NY’s work with gold, and silver.

The Gate announced today that work for two clients – the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and BHP – were recognized during the Global ACE Awards by ANA Business Marketing in their 2020 Annual Award Ceremony.

The Gate submitted IMA’s broadcast TV campaign along with print from the BHP “Big Thinkers” campaign.

IMA’s “You’ve Got To Earn It” campaign was awarded gold for best Broadcast Advertising – TV Single Spot with their “Chair Slide” spot, along with silver for Broadcast Advertising – TV Campaign for their “Chair Slide,” “Headbanger,” and “Low Ceiling” spots. BHP’s “Statue of Liberty” won gold for Print Advertising – Single Ad.

“It’s fantastic to see our work being recognized like this, and winning gold in multiple categories.” said David Bernstein, Chief Creative Officer at The Gate. “We are proud of that. We are also proud that we won for multiple clients in very different industries, which demonstrates the depth and breadth of our work.”

Gold: Institute of Management Accountants. View it here: Broadcast Advertising – TV Single Spot

Gold: BHP. View it here: Print Advertising – Single Ad

Silver. Institute of Management Accountants. View it here: Broadcast Advertising – TV Campaign

About The Gate
The Gate is a full-service advertising agency known for making considered purchases worth considering. Our panel of consumer, cultural, and category experts helps us identify your “Why Axis”: why customers should choose your product or service over someone else’s. This expertise has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, mining, energy, and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, London, Edinburgh, and Shanghai. For more information, visit thegateworldwide.com/ny.

About MSQ Partners
MSQ Partners is a group of creative agencies with 15 international offices. It comprises six agencies in total, spanning advertising, public relations, direct and digital marketing, design and brand strategy and B2B, and is the fastest-growing multi-disciplinary group in the UK. Clients are offered the choice of working with individual agencies or with a multi-disciplinary team designed around their specific needs. Unique to an international group of our scale and reach, our 70 most senior employees are all shareholders in the group, providing a strong incentive for effective collaboration across agencies.

About IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants)
IMA®, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 90,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit imanet.org.

Skedaddle launches new brand identity from The Gate New York.

The Gate, launched a brand refresh for online used-car dealer, Skedaddle (formerly Carsation), Beau Fraser, President of The Gate announced today. Elements unveiled include a new brand positioning, name, logo, tagline, and identity system. The Gate won the account last year following a three-month review.

The identity centers on a new name, Skedaddle. A fully integrated campaign is expected later in the year.

The design was created by Associate Creative Director – Design, Charlie Williamson and the renaming belongs to Associate Creative Director – Copy, Michael Abadi both of whom report to Chief Creative Officer David Bernstein.

“We think the Skedaddle name and tagline line – Home of the eight-minute car – perfectly captures our brand benefit of speed and ease,” said Skedaddle CEO and Founder Duane Berkey. “With consumers anxious to avoid traditional used car dealers, many are turning to the internet where they already do much of their shopping. Skedaddle’s brand identity answers that need with personality and a wink.”

According to Accenture, 75% of consumers would consider making their entire car-buying process online, including financing, price negotiation, back-office paperwork, and home delivery. Skedaddle is one of a select few companies to step in and fill this need, according to Fraser.

Fraser commented, “The Skedaddle name in combination with the logo in the form of a stopwatch and tagline line neatly says a lot about the company and the positive brand experience a consumer can expect.”

Since launching the business in late 2019, Skedaddle has seen tremendous traction and growth that has accelerated during lockdown.

About Skedaddle
Skedaddle (formerly Carsation) is an online-used car buying company founded in November of 2018 by Duane Berkey and located in Westport, Connecticut. Skedaddle will have a wide selection of used vehicles which, have gone through a rigorous 120 point inspection using the highest reconditioning standards in the industry.

About The Gate
The Gate is a full-service advertising agency known for making considered purchases worth considering. Our panel of consumer, cultural, and category experts helps us identify your “Why Axis”: why customers should choose your product or service over someone else’s. This expertise has led to successful communication programs for clients in finance, consumer goods, luxury, insurance, mining, energy, and more. The Gate manages over $250 million in client advertising and has a network of offices in New York, London, Edinburgh, Shanghai and San Francisco. For more information, visit thegateworldwide.com/ny.