Online traction for FPA campaign

A recently-launched advertising campaign from the Financial Planning Association (FPA) is yielding positive results online after less than three weeks, according to the FPA.

Among the measurable online results, the campaign has generated nearly 2,000 clicks through to the FPA website at fpadifference.com.au; more 6,000 click-throughs from Google searches; a 20 per cent increase in usage of the FPA's online Find a Financial Planner tool to 700 searches per day; and an increase from around 600 to around 1,000 unique visitors per day to the FPA website.

The FPA's general manager of marketing Lindy Jones said that in total the campaign had reached over 230,000 unique individuals, with each person seeing the advertising more than four times each.

The online results are much more easily measurable in the short term than the television campaign but the FPA had done some market research before the campaign started to gauge consumer awareness of the FPA and their attitudes towards it, and would repeat the research after the campaign was completed to measure its effectiveness, Jones said.

"After the campaign it will be a question of where to from here," Jones said.

"We're hoping members will continue to support the campaign. We'll see how this one goes and look for feedback at national conference [in Brisbane in November]," she said.

There had already been significant member feedback, of which around 80 per cent was positive and 20 per cent was neutral or constructive, she said.

The overwhelming message from members was one of "at last it's here", particularly with tough times in the markets and low consumer confidence which can make it difficult for planners, she said. But it also makes it the right time to be telling consumers where they can get trusted advice, she added.

Some members have suggested they'd like the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation to be promoted, but with the FPA not yet a household name, research has shown that talking about the CFP as well effectively halves the amount of brand awareness and dilutes the message, Jones said. That may be something to look at including in the next campaign once awareness had been raised, she added.