Franklin Templeton x Mashable ME

This is a class concept deck from Interactive Marketing at SDSU, taught by Isa Grimes (Chief Marketing Officer at Endpoint Clinical). It was a group project, not a produced campaign. The same group built the L'Oréal Cell BioPrint deck.

The assignment was to build a campaign rationale for why Franklin Templeton should run a women's empowerment investing push in the UAE, using Mashable ME as the cultural storytelling bridge. The deck calls for bilingual execution in English and Arabic, including scripts and landing pages.

The deck covers the campaign rationale, the Franklin Templeton and Mashable ME fit, influencer strategy with Noor Stars, two ad concepts, a channel recommendation, a roadmap, and a budget allocation.

Women hold about 8% of ETF investments in the UAE. The deck cites 18% growth in the sector over five years. These are concept-level figures used to frame the opportunity, not verified research data. The argument is that Franklin Templeton can link its brand to women's empowerment at a moment when that audience is growing.

• Bilingual execution notes: bilingual scripts and running the creative in English and Arabic based on regional dialect.
• Channel recommendation: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp are prioritized; the deck explicitly says LinkedIn is not the right primary channel for a B2C (business-to-consumer) women-focused wealth campaign in the UAE.
• Trust proxies: Mashable ME is positioned as the bridge between Franklin Templeton’s empowerment message and UAE women audiences through pop culture, lifestyle trends, and digital storytelling.

Partnership framing: Mashable ME is named as the media partner for Noor Stars’ weekly exclusive podcast episodes.

Concept components shown in the deck:

• Influencer-led approach: Noor Stars as the ‘brand character’ and awareness lead.
• Micro-creator cascade: 6–12 micro creators across segments (Emirati professionals, expat educators, SMEs, moms, tech).
• Two ad concepts: “Reach for the Stars” awareness ad and “Let’s Talk” CTA/lead generation ad.
• Conversion mechanic: WhatsApp CTA via CTWA (Click to WhatsApp) + bilingual landing + compliant scripts.

Distribution notes in the deck: Meta Reels/Stories with CTWA (Click to WhatsApp) CTA (call to action) or email CTA; YouTube in-stream and Shorts; plus the deck argues WhatsApp is key for private 1:1 conversion conversations.

• Rationale + insight: why women empowerment in the UAE and why now (including the ETF stat).
• Partnership logic: how Franklin Templeton and Mashable ME would blend (bridge analogy).
• Budget allocation slide: (including Noor Stars at $50,000 for 3 months).
• Influencer decision slide: Noor Stars as lead + micro-creators + KPIs (key performance indicators).
• Creative concepts and rationale: “Reach for the Stars” awareness and “Let’s Talk” WhatsApp CTA.
• Timing + roadmap: Jan 1 launch; weekly podcast episodes Jan–March; 3-phase roadmap (awareness, consideration, purchase).
• Channel callout: explicitly not LinkedIn as the primary channel.
• Outcome slide: “funded accounts and SIP (systematic investment plan) starts.”

Mashable ME is positioned as the media partner because it reaches UAE women through pop culture, lifestyle content, and digital storytelling. Franklin Templeton on its own reads as a financial institution. Mashable ME makes it feel relevant.

The deck tracks four KPIs: view-through rate, CTA rate, cost per qualified lead, and booked calls. The final slide calls for weekly measurement and adjustments.

This was a chance to work on something completely new. I had no background in financial services marketing or UAE audience strategy. That was the point.

• The group built the English deck together. I built the Arabic version on my own, using Google Translate as a base and my family, who are mostly fluent Arabic speakers, to review it.
• I read and speak some Arabic, so I was not working blind. But I was working at the edge of what I knew.
• The research on Noor Stars was real. She was the right fit for UAE women audiences and the group confirmed that through research.
• The budget numbers and ETF stats were concept-level estimates, not pulled from live data.

We all start somewhere. This project was a deliberate step into unfamiliar territory: new market, new language, new category. That discomfort was the value.