TIAA
Few have as much to brag about as Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). They’ve been a leader in the retirement world for more than a century, providing predictable lifetime income through fixed and variable-rate annuities—the latter of which it invented in 1952.
When TIAA engaged our team, they were rebranding the organization to reflect a career of tenacious advocacy. It was my job to put a refreshed verbal identity into action to give this new chapter a voice.
A new narrative for annuities
As part of this work, we wanted to shift a few perceptions.
Annuities—TIAA’s bread and butter—have had a bad reputation for a range of reasons. They’re also complex, and often even the trusting were left confused by TIAA’s product offering.
With help from TIAA’s partner agencies, we distilled the story and put the benefit front and center. With an annuity, you get a payout each month in retirement. It’s your retirement paycheck.
Second, we wanted to shift attitudes around retirement. Research told us that, for most people, retirement was overwhelming, confusing, and opaque—a real bear. What customers wanted was predictability and peace of mind. TIAA would fight for that.
Finding the balance
I wanted TIAA to sound fearless, but not at the expense of trust or practicality. This was a company responsible for millions of retirements, and there was such a thing as getting too bold. But TIAA’s digital brand was clinical and uninspiring, betraying its history and character. Here are a few examples.
To achieve this balance, we sought boldness through clarity. If TIAA is the ally it says it is, then every word should make things simpler for its clients. As such, its new voice is precise, assertive, and lean. We say what we mean—and what our customers need to know.
There were also aspirational moments—the rallying cries. How would TIAA stand for something in this next chapter? I sought to capture the spirit of a multi-generational advocate. At its most impassioned, TIAA speaks with a declarative, fist-in-the-air flair. I think it’s the most driven voice in finance today.
Meet the people fighting for your right to retire securely.
New, immersive moments
In addition to trusty web pages, our team developed a bespoke media type for the TIAA website. These “immersive flows” walk users through complicated financial ideas—think retirement planning or annuity mechanics—in the simplest possible terms. From arboreal metaphors to Chipotle-style self-service, we built a modular toolkit that empowers TIAA to explain anything.
To prove our concept worked, we developed a range of flows using our toolkit. This was a serious undertaking, made possible through a long series of in-person and digital workshops. As they say: simple ain’t easy.
See some in action:
About Lifetime Income: https://www.tiaa.org/public/learn/lifetime-income
Retirement Essentials: https://www.tiaa.org/public/learn/financial-essentials
A bright future…
We have a range of exciting immersive flows in development right now. As they release, they’ll appear here—and on your feed, too. Stay tuned. There’s more good stuff on the way.