Find an audience.

Morgan Stanley at Work had a captive audience. 1,300 partners and customers coming to LA for a four day conference of training, presentations and dealmaking. But it was a packed schedule. And these customers had seen it all. To grow business they needed to create something unmissable.

Benches and signs at an airport terminal. One sign reads 'Morgan Stanley At Work can be helpful to employees even when they're not at work.'

Build a 5,000 square foot campaign.

We surprised the delegates by turning their business conference into a fake film festival. Complete with fictional movies, posters and movie merch. A series of exhibition-style booths featured fun movies based around Morgan Stanley product offerings. Each one with giveaways or interactive screens, to educate but also entice engagement.

People engaged in conversation at a movie theater lobby with a movie poster and informational signs in the background.

Sell stuff.

Once the booths had done their job, the sales teams could do theirs. Using interactive screens to educate, sharing posters as reminders to reconnect, and handing out movie tickets to qualify attendees for merchandise, they ensured no station was left unvisited.

Results are confidential, but a quote from a sales team member gives some indication “I had customers come up to me and ask “How do I chase my dreams?”. That’s a great conversation starter.”

Exhibition booth with blue panels and digital screens displaying information about Morgan Stanley's equity award analysis, at a conference.

A man with a backpack at a registration table talking to a staff member at a conference or event. There is a movie sign on the left advertising the film "Every Penny Counts" now playing in theaters.

Three posters for movies or shows. The first shows an aerial view of a small town with colorful houses, trees, and a winding road, with the caption 'You never know what you'll learn.' The second features a colorful, stylized portrait of a woman with vibrant blue, purple, and red hues, with the caption 'The Vesting.' The third depicts three professionals in suits walking through a desert environment with clouds in the sky, carrying briefcases, with the caption 'The Indispensables.'

Three movie posters displayed side by side. The first poster promotes a film titled 'Plan of Action' with silhouettes of two men in suits against a maze background. The second poster, titled 'Chasing Dreams,' shows a man in a suit lying on grass with a briefcase beside him. The third poster advertises a film called 'Every Penny' featuring a house and tree made of coins and a pathway covered with coins.

“Something Different is a strategic and creative powerhouse. They’re incredible partners day in and day out. They’re never precious and nothing is ever impossible.”

Stacey Juliano
Executive Director, Head of Marketing, Morgan Stanley at Work

How to build an unskippable ad.

Find an audience.

Build a 5,000 square foot campaign.

Sell stuff.

“Something Different is a strategic and creative powerhouse. They’re incredible partners day in and day out. They’re never precious and nothing is ever impossible.”