The premise

Polling around the private equity industry doesn’t paint a particularly strong picture, with the common perception being that these firms profit at the expense of companies and the economy. And yet, the same research reveals that there is confusion around how the business model actually works, proving that there is room to correct the record. We partnered with Blackstone, one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers, to help improve their standing in the public eye and demonstrate how their investment approach could be a force for good.

The work

From the beginning, we knew it would be important to take an audience-first approach. We started by identifying a universe of influential elites across the public and private sectors whose opinions were most important to shape, and then surveyed their receptivity to different areas of impact. What emerged was a clear message architecture that could move the needle on favorability, focusing on Blackstone’s ability to spur inclusive economic growth by building stronger businesses over the long term. This finding helped fuel the creative strategy behind an ongoing digital advertising program that we built from scratch. For almost two years, we’ve translated our message framework into unique campaigns that demonstrate Blackstone’s partnership with its portfolio companies and investments in fast-growing areas that are shaping the future—from emerging tech and life sciences to sustainability. Throughout the process, we’ve stayed true to our audience-first roots, serving media on a mix of channels that we know our reputation stakeholders trust and frequent.

The results

• Over the course of our partnership, I’ve executed all copywriting and overseen end-to-end content development for over 30 unique campaigns and 500+ creative assets across video, display, social, audio, and newsletter placements.

• The creative strategy that I’ve helped shape and drive forward has contributed to a significant 10-point increase in Blackstone favorability among a critical cohort of political and business elites within our custom audience.