World Gold Council - Meet the Auburns

Insight
If gold can benefit anyone, it’s everyone’s asset.
Gold is a unique asset with proven positive performance in good and bad economic times. With the challenges of today’s economy, it has never been more relevant.

Gold’s many advantages, from liquidity to historical performance to online availability, mean that it has the unique likelihood of being a useful asset for any portfolio. Yet communication of these benefits has generally targeted keen investors and central banks, until now.

Idea
Investing with the Auburns.
The World Gold Council provides analysis, insight and wisdom to professional investors. Our latest collaboration divulges the benefits and ease of investing in gold to an everyday audience.

Through a set of 14 films, six radio spots and an accompanying digital experience, Everyone’s Asset breaks down the benefits of investing in gold. The Auburns democratise the knowledge of key benefits, creating a judgement-free, inclusive experience, an entertaining start to anyone’s gold-buying journey.

Welcome to the Family.
Everyone could benefit from gold investment, but not everyone knows it. The World Gold Council and AKQA developed a segmentation approach inclusive of gold’s widest possible audience and involved the questions and apprehensions of these potential investors in character development.

What resulted is a diverse seven-member family, each with a unique back story, relationship with gold and set of motivations. Grandma Auburn, the eccentric matriarch, has been held afloat by gold’s liquidity and constant returns in good times and bad; through leaving her country and building a new home. Her grandson Chad Auburn is a tech-first cyber whiz who is well-versed in the ways to buy, store and sell gold online. Twins Paul and Saul Auburn, enthusiasts of all things unique, understand that gold is one-of-a-kind amongst assets and allows for personalised portfolios.

Sonia Auburn, known as The Bloodhound, is knowledgeable about investing in gold confidently and safely, thanks to principles and guidance. She offers her tips to rookie Gigi Auburn, who we get to know during her first occasion of investing. Finally, environmentalist and entrepreneur Silus Auburn is interested in assets responsible for his portfolio and society.

Many members, one message.

In the first film of the series, Meet the Auburns, we’re introduced to family members demonstrating their individual priorities, all of which are answered in some capacity by what gold offers as an asset. Cues to gold and investing are flecked throughout, from jewellery and décor to Silus’ reading material, The In-Nature Investor, inspired by seminal financial book The Intelligent Investor. Narrated by legendary musician Huey Morgan, the spot concludes with the message that “at the end of the day, there’s nothing like being a gold owner.”

Inspired by a free-flowing conversation at a family dinner, the second film, Auburn Family Dinner, eavesdrops on the dialogue between characters. Information is revealed on how and why to invest in gold because, as we hear from Huey Morgan, “nothing keeps it all together quite like gold.” Amidst Chad’s comments on the ease of buying gold and Gigi’s awe at its affordability, the spot presents gold-toned table wear, accessories, and even Yukon gold potatoes.

The character-rich concept allows for a precise media plan, targeting audience segments with relevant messages. The campaign serves a combination of videos, stills and audio experiences across social networks. Rather than using cutdowns, the suite of 14 films provides assets created specifically for their purpose. While different members of the Auburn family deliver strategically unique answers about gold’s return, trustworthiness or ease, for example, the films land on one message: gold is everyone’s asset.

To the uninitiated, the realm of investing sometimes presents as a world of esoteric jargon and indecipherable data. The Everyone’s Asset campaign is a playful antidote to this inaccessibility. Terms like diversification, liquidity and returns are peppered throughout the films in a reassuringly real-life context.

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An online meeting place.
Further information on gold’s benefits is offered on a dedicated website, which provides glossaries and infographics that put gold data into tangible terms.

The website experience is a continuation of numerous visitor journeys. Here, audience members who identified with a particular Auburn will receive more detailed information and tools corresponding to their interests, questions or apprehensions.

Impact
Making an impression by reflecting on what’s real.
Building on the World Gold Council and AKQA’s Meet the Economy campaign, which showcases gold’s millennia-spanning legacy, Meet the Auburns adds a personal touch to gold’s message by appealing to every investor.

Filmed on location in Hertfordshire across an ambitious two days, the project transformed a manor house into the backdrop for relatable, endearing moments amongst people like ourselves. Award-winning directors, photographers, composers and further creative talent came together in a collaborative effort to welcome the world to this new and unique family.