When Columbia Threadneedle Investments and BMO GAM (EMEA) joined forces in 2022, the combined business needed a unified brand promise and a global proposition that brought out the best of both organisations. Two firms with distinct histories, cultures and client relationships now had to speak with one voice.

We were tasked with the positioning, and developing the proposition: a proposition that felt authentic to people inside the business and gave investors in every market a clear reason to choose it. It also had to be robust enough to unify the brand globally and flexible enough for each region to build its own local messaging from.

We set out to uncover something distinctive and motivating about the combined business: a global story every part of the organisation could align around and build its local message from.

A proposition that has to work around the world needs to start from what is true inside the business, so we began with a large internal research exercise. More than 40 stakeholder interviews gave us a detailed picture of what each organisation brought to the partnership, and where the point of difference that would inspire customers lay.

The research pointed to two strengths. The first was operational excellence, rooted in the business's research intensity and collaborative culture. The second was customer aspiration, expressed through a responsible ethos. The proposition we developed marries the two, pairing how the business invests with what its clients want their investments to achieve.

The result was "Investing Smarter for the world you want." The idea of "Investing Smarter" captures the rigour behind every decision, and "the world you want" speaks to the ambitions of the people the business serves.

The new brand proposition, narrative and messaging now drive brand communications across the business globally. The work won Best of Show, Best-of-Category Multi-Country and Asset Management B2B Excellence at the Gramercy Institute's 2023 Financial Marketing Strategy Awards, and the brand film won a Telly Award in the corporate category.