KERUX

Kerux

When David Laut, founder of Abound Financial, heard AM speak on building brands around purpose – he was hooked. He had already identified a disconnect in his own company: a retirment-focused approach to wealth management for his clients, but a deep desire to grow God’s Kingdom internally. So when the opportunity arose to work with AM to bridge that gap – he jumped on it.

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Uncovering the Core Problem

We launched the OVRFLO process, seeking to find what “abundance” really meant to the organization, and ultimately – their clients. By moving the conversation away from the transactional nature of building wealth and prepping for retirement and toward the more eternal impact one could have – we landed on the true problem we were facing: while Christians control 55% of the world’s wealth, giving to God’s Kingdom has dropped 50% in one generation. The core issue wasn’t a lack of wealth, but a lack of purpose-driven investment, and an existing focus on self rather than Kingdom-building.

Discovering the Core Purpose:    Live Life Abundantly

From the fusion of problem and belief, we crafted KERUX’s activated purpose, providing an unwavering compass for every strategic decision and client conversation.
CORE PURPOSE:  We equip our clients to invest in eternal impact, live abundantly, and leave a lasting legacy.
This declaration immediately shifted the focus from the transactional nature of retirement planning to the transformational topic of Eternal ROI—a powerful narrative that directly appeals to the Christian investor’s deepest desire.

The Transformation: Becoming Heralds of a New Message

Along with new branding came a specific challenge – a competitor with a similar name. AM saw the need to move away from “Abound” as an opportunity to both stand out from the competition and point to the true purpose driving the company. KERUX is the Hebrew word for “messenger” or “herald” used by Paul in 1 Timothy, the same book where he penned the verse that inspires David and his team every day…
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” – 1 Timothy 6:17
The new brand identity and messaging, centered on the strategic name KERUX, transformed the firm and its employees into “heralds” – proclaimers of a message of profound significance.

Crafting an Activated Purpose: Investing in Eternity

The Faith Forward Framework

We rebuilt the client process into the Faith Forward Framework, ensuring every client meeting is a mission-focused dialogue:
  1. Uncover God’s Calling: What is God’s mission for you?
  2. Steward God’s Gifts: How can it maximize your mission?
  3. Harvest God’s Abundance: What goes to God first? What goes to family?
This process ensures that every conversation starts with the question, “Whose kingdom are you investing in?”

Creative Direction:
The Herald’s Message

The new brand needed to communicate the Elite level of service while remaining unapologetically Eternal. We executed a total brand activation around three strategic pillars and a powerful new name.
Strategic Pillars (The 3 E’s):
  1. Eternal: Freedom from fear comes from faith-forward finances.
  2. Enjoy: We manage your finances well, so that you can live abundantly.
  3. Elite: World-tested expertise without sacrificing service level.

Brand Application:
A Holistic Transformation

The rebrand was meticulously applied across all strategic and tactical touchpoints to ensure seamless consistency and maximum impact for both external and internal audiences.
  • Brand Collateral: Design and production of new collateral, including the distinctive square business cards, custom letterhead, and email signatures.
  • Digital Communications: Full implementation across socials, email communications to existing clients, and an update to newsletter designs, ensuring digital channels reflect the new brand and focus on the right stories of making eternal impact.
  • Strategic Consulting: Consulting on the annual marketing budget, which included shifting spend and providing a higher ROI tracking system for channels like PR and digital advertising.
  • Website: A completely restructured, rewritten, and redesigned website was needed to better tell the stories KERUX was trying to convey and to inspire potential clients to shift their thinking about their wealth from the transactional to the transformational.

“A brand must be an authentic reflection of who you already are. Other marketing firms define the client first, but AM started with us and our internal mission. They helped give our unique vision (integrating faith and finance) clear language and reach. AM ensured our brand rings true, not like a hollow echo.”

David Laut

Founder & Chief Investment Officer, KERUX