St. James’s Place partnered with Sky Arts to reposition its brand from traditional and exclusive to modern, accessible, and culturally engaged. Targeting financially comfortable, culturally aware ABC1 adults, the campaign leveraged sponsorship and branded content to build emotional connection and cultural relevance at scale. Custom idents reflected the art forms featured on Sky Arts and aired across broadcast and social platforms, with Sky Advance activity extending reach and achieving view-through rates of 65% in 2024 and 75% in 2025, both ahead of industry benchmarks. Research showed that 82% of viewers connected with the “Invaluable Advice” message delivered through these idents.
Branded content played a pivotal role. The Invaluable Advice series featured roundtable discussions in 2024 and evolved into one-to-one mentorship conversations in 2025, generating over 9.8 million views across two series. The Portrait Artist of the Year (PAOTY) competition in 2024 invited audiences to have their portrait painted by the winner, delivering 1.6 million views and 4.4 million impressions. In 2025, Art Made Easy, a 12-part series led by former PAOTY contestant Sara Reeve, made artistic expression accessible to all.
The campaign delivered measurable impact: brand awareness increased by 300%, 73% of viewers reported improved perceptions of St. James’s Place, 82% associated the brand with achieving financial goals, and 79% expressed positive sentiment. By aligning financial advice with creativity and mentorship, St. James’s Place shifted perceptions and built deeper trust and relevance with its audience.
