Transcending a limiting label

Founded in 2004 from the merger of several entities, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (transl.: financial market authority) is an organization with multiple, complex, and nuanced roles. At the heart of its mission: regulating and overseeing the financial markets in Quebec. Because it operates within a system comprised of several organizations taking action at different levels, there was confusion regarding the scope of its role. The label "the watchdog of the financial markets" was distancing the organization from its audiences and made it intimidating, thus hindering its role in financial education and prevention.

Cohesion was mandated to articulate the role of the Autorité in its entirety using clear and accessible language in order to simplify and democratize the message. This created a challenge to accurately reflect a complex role, while overlaying the label “watchdog" with a more positive and overarching proposition.

Expressing a complex role in a simple manner

The diagnostic uncovered a striking discovery: neither the general public nor professionals of the financial sector grasped the full extent of the responsibilities entrusted to the Autorité. Internally, employees were familiar with their own sector but struggled to have a comprehensive understanding of the organization's overall activities. This stemmed from the complexity of connecting seemingly independent functions.

Cohesion outlined a thorough description of the Autorité's nine superintendencies and services. Through executive interviews and multidisciplinary workshops, it captured the perspective and defined the functional elements of each branch. It also worked with the training team to understand the financial ecosystem and the nature of relationships between the Autorité and its target audiences. The challenge lay in organizing its different areas of work under a system that made them intelligible and relevant to audiences with heterogenous financial knowledge.

A noble discourse that elicits pride

Cohesion captured the essence of the Autorité and developed the organization's key messages. These messages were structured in a system that allowed a simple and logical explanation of all its functions.

From this emerged the strategic positioning, encapsulated by the promise "Acting for the integrity of the financial sector”. It described a leading actor within the Québec financial ecosystem. Which serves the general public, professionals, and organizations in an impartial manner. Which establishes the rules and makes sure that market activities are conducted with respect for the law and the rights of all. Which is an accurate and objective reference, ensuring that the financial sector is well-regulated and efficient.

Universally and warmly endorsed, the new label elicited a sense of pride. The new key messages provided a clearer view of what the organization accomplishes, reflecting the magnitude of its role and the importance of its contribution. The Autorité is now solidly based on an accurate and meaningful description, and is now in a stronger position to be both better understood and more accessible to all its audiences.