The Gate Dares Management Accountants to Earn Their CMA

The Gate | New York launched a creative advertising campaign for the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), the association of accountants and financial professionals in business.  The work will appear in not-so-typical BtoB outlets: including commercials on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” among other unexpected media outlets for its category. The multi-year campaign, targeting Millennials and finance professionals under 40, points to the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certification – the world’s leading management accounting credential – as the solution to confronting the skills gap in the finance and accounting profession.

The focal point of the campaign is the story of a management accountant so proud of his CMA certification that he gets a large tattoo on his back, while his co-workers line up to be next. According to The Gate’s research, 40 percent of adults 26 to 40 years old have at least one tattoo (and 43 percent of people with tattoos think a tattoo with a personal meaning is the most important factor).

“The ‘You’ve got to earn it’ campaign isn’t just about the challenge of becoming a CMA; it’s a dare,” said David Bernstein, chief creative officer of The Gate. “We’re essentially issuing a call to action for accountants to differentiate themselves in the market by taking a test with a 50 percent pass rate.”

“To call yourself a CMA, you need to pass a two-part, eight-hour exam. Our campaign is a challenge for people who want the status that comes with the credential and a point of pride for people who already have it,” added Beau Fraser, president of The Gate. “The creative and unconventional media strategy will break through typical financial certification marketing to show young finance professionals that earning a CMA is worth the effort for their career.”