“It’s Gotta Be A CFP®” Public Awareness Campaign is Back With New TV Ad
Today, CFP Board launched the second year of our "It’s Gotta Be A CFP®" public awareness campaign to increase awareness of the CFP® certification mark and the importance of working with a CFP® professional. The “It’s Gotta Be A CFP®” campaign debuted in 2023 and has been instrumental in driving record awareness of CFP® certification.
The consumer-tested campaign features brand new advertisements that highlight high-risk situations and the feeling of uncertainty and then contrast those scenarios with the confidence and security one feels when working with a CFP® professional. With a humorous approach, the new "Surgery" TV ads drive home the importance of working with a qualified professional when it comes to life’s most important decisions, particularly financial planning. All ads feature the tagline “IT’S GOTTA BE A CFP®” and drive consumers to the LetsMakeAPlan.org website to find a CFP® professional.
The new TV ads run for nine weeks, through May 19, on news, sports and entertainment media partners, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, the Golf Channel, ESPN, HDTV and the Food Network. In addition to the television ads, the campaign includes streaming video on Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max and Roku, among other platforms, as well as radio ads that also air through May 19. Search engine marketing and social media advertising will continue throughout the year.
For more than a decade, CFP Board has executed a consumer-focused public awareness campaign to raise awareness of the value and benefits of working with a CFP® professional. This year’s campaign and paid media expenditure is $16.9 million, bringing the total CFP Board ad campaign investment to more than $160 million since our first campaign in 2011.
This year’s campaign continues to target individuals aged 35 to 64 who are the primary decision-makers in managing their personal finances. Creation of the campaign included validation through national focus group testing. The campaign’s effectiveness in driving awareness and preference for CFP® certification is measured annually through a national brand tracking survey conducted by a third-party research organization.
The new TV ads and other campaign resources can be found on CFP Board’s Public Awareness Campaign & Toolkit webpage.
Resources for CFP® Professionals
Our 2024 campaign includes an updated toolkit of resources that CFP® professionals can use to help their clients and prospects connect them with the campaign’s messages. The toolkit includes the TV ads and other online videos, animated digital banner ads, sample social media images and posts, and promotional materials such as “It’s Gotta Be A CFP®” images for email signatures and virtual meeting backgrounds.
With the campaign’s media strategy guaranteed to generate at least 1.3 billion impressions, now is a great time for CFP® professionals to create or update your “Find a CFP® Professional” profile on LetsMakeAPlan.org. Our recent consumer research found that it is important to include a photo in your profile. Consumers viewed profiles with a photo as more trustworthy, and they were more likely to contact CFP® professionals who provided a photo. Profiles can be created or updated through your online CFP Board account.
Recorded Webinar with Background on New Campaign
On March 14, CFP Board hosted a webinar to introduce our 2024 public awareness campaign, including revealing the new TV ad, reviewing the progress of the campaign over the years, and answering questions from the live audience.
We hope you enjoy the new TV ads and share them with your clients and colleagues on social media. Thank you for your engagement as we all work to expand awareness of CFP® certification as the standard for financial planning.