Morgan Stanley: The Pursuit: Anthem

Morgan Stanley is launching their first major brand platform in four years, following the integration of Smith Barney into Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

The new campaign, featuring TV, print and digital, is called "The Pursuit," and focuses on the Wealth Management side of the business – the force of more than 16,000 Financial Advisors who have the power of one of the oldest and most prominent names on Wall Street behind them.

The theme of the campaign is about the essential advice that Morgan Stanley FAs provide to grow their clients' assets and meet their goals – and, in the wake of the financial crisis, what is essential is not only their acumen but also their integrity, not only their knowledge of capital markets but also their responsibility.

Nowhere is "Responsible Capitalism" more important than in the Financial Advisor with whom we entrust our money, and therefore life goals. The campaign intentionally puts the FA at the front and center of the campaign, showing the power and scope of the Morgan Stanley firm behind him/her.

To avoid the clichés that populate the financial category (i.e. sailboats and sunsets), the campaign found a visual precedent in artists like Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera. During the Depression, these artists created large scale murals that celebrated the everyday heroism of working men and women and served as a reminder that economic difficulty could not stop the progress and pursuit of the American Dream. The current campaign contemporizes this aesthetic, uses it as a storytelling device, and presents and sophisticated, compelling canvas for a sophisticated target. A consistent theme line runs throughout the work – "We’re ready to work for you" – which underlines the Firm's "Clients First" ethos.

To bring this vision to life, we employed the talents of two of the world's most iconic image-makers, world-renowned photographer Nadav Kander and the director Tarsem. Inspired by the references of the large scale murals, they created a modern tableau vivant for Morgan Stanley using a delicate balance of real, painted and digital visuals.