With CMOs obsessed about achieving productivity gains to enhance performance and conversion, getting a grip of your messy middle is vital.

For decades, marketers have been trying to optimise prospective customers’ ‘path to purchase’. And they’ve been using all manner of tools and frameworks to understand and influence buyer behaviour.

Recently, however, Google has stepped in and attempted to reflect the modern reality of that behaviour with its framework: the ‘messy middle’. But Google’s characterisation of people’s purchase behaviour as ‘messy’ is actually just a reflection of the inherent humanity of marketing.

So how do you better guide gloriously ‘messy’ people towards your products and services and most effectively close the gap between a trigger and the point of purchase.

Read our short practical report, ‘Untangling The Messy Middle’ in which we explore:
- The specific behavioural changes that are defining the messy middle in 2025
- The business case for further tightening your conversion journey
- The five core steps needed to untangle your messy middle
- Best practice: who’s getting it right?

Here’s our view on the messy middle and how to untangle it.

[Download report](//assets.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3HO8F5bPGIbBjLVFdrEIa7/ffc94cbfd70e9a9451f9b0fe3e5d10d0/9988_MessyMiddleReport_DIGITAL_US_AW2_MO.pdf)

For decades FS marketers have worked to optimise a prospects the path to purchase. But Google’s ‘messy middle’ shows how unpredictable it really is. 

Do you have a grip on your messy middle? Discover how to untangle it with our brand new report here.

Untangling the messy middle

With CMOs obsessed about achieving productivity gains to enhance performance and conversion, getting a grip of your messy middle is vital.

For decades, marketers have been trying to optimize prospective customers’ ‘path to purchase’. And they’ve been using all manner of tools and frameworks to understand and influence buyer behavior.

Recently, however, Google has stepped in and attempted to reflect the modern reality of that behavior with its framework: the ‘messy middle’. But Google’s characterization of people’s purchase behavior as ‘messy’ is actually just a reflection of the inherent humanity of marketing.

So how do you better guide gloriously ‘messy’ people towards your products and services and most effectively close the gap between a trigger and the point of purchase.

Read our short practical report, ‘Untangling The Messy Middle’ in which we explore:
- The specific behavioral changes that are defining the messy middle in 2025
- The business case for further tightening your conversion journey
- The five core steps needed to untangle your messy middle
- Best practice: who’s getting it right?

Here’s our view on the messy middle and how to untangle it.

[Download report](//assets.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3HO8F5bPGIbBjLVFdrEIa7/ffc94cbfd70e9a9451f9b0fe3e5d10d0/9988_MessyMiddleReport_DIGITAL_US_AW2_MO.pdf)

We’re delighted to announce the winner of our 2025 For the Better Award! 

Each year, we invite nominations for social enterprises and charities that are truly helping people think differently about money - and after careful consideration, we select one to support with pro bono communications expertise. Whether it’s creative development, strategic planning, or public relations firepower, our team dives in to help deliver meaningful change.

This year’s winner is drum roll please - __Money Ready! __

Formerly known as MyBnk, Money Ready is a financial education charity on a mission to reduce financial inequality and boost financial resilience. It delivers expert-led programmes to people aged 4 to 40, reaching over 50,000 people a year, especially in communities that are most at risk of financial exclusion.

Its work focuses on those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including low-income families, marginalised groups, and individuals living in areas of high deprivation. They also support young people in care, refugees, and those leaving the prison system – helping to break down the barriers that lead to financial instability.

__And 2025 marks a special milestone for both of us.__

As Teamspirit celebrates 30 years in business, we’re commemorating the occasion with a commitment to raise and donate £30,000 to charitable causes over the year. As part of that, we’ve increased our pro bono support to £20,000 for Money Ready, which will span comms strategy, PR, social media and more as needed. The goal? To get its incredible work seen, heard, and celebrated across the UK.

The remaining £10,000 of our £30K commitment will be raised through fundraising and volunteering initiatives carried out by our brilliant team throughout the year.

Money Ready recently completed a full rebrand, and they’re now gearing up to launch a bold new campaign that redefines how people see financial education. We’ll be working closely with them to shape that campaign, build visibility, and help amplify the amazing work they’re doing on the ground.

We’ll be sharing updates on the campaign as it develops, so keep an eye out. In the meantime we say __Money Ready, steady, go! __


Money Ready, steady, go!

The confluence of three recent trends have got us thinking about what it might mean to be a ‘star’ fund manager in 2025 and beyond:

1. Interest in Targeted Support. The imminent Advice Guidance Boundary Review could see ‘Targeted Support’ becoming a more popular option, with 50% of financial advisers reviewing their client base for potential segmentation, according to a recent [Dynamic Planner Survey](https://professionalparaplanner.co.uk/half-of-firms-look-to-segment-clients-ahead-of-advice-guidance-boundary-review-outcome/) 
2. The arrival of PISCES (Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System), the new sandbox market for periodic secondary trading of private company shares.
3. The ascendancy of horoscopes. TikTok has over 4.5m videos tagged ‘astrology’ as of January 2025, and spending on astrology-related products is projected to almost double from $12.8 billion in 2021 to $22.8 billion by 2031, according to [Oxford Brookes University](https://www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brookes/news/news-from-2025/05/expert-comment-why-is-gen-z-looking-to-the-stars-f)

By bringing these three things together, we believe that we can provide ‘Targeted Support’ for people reconsidering their investment strategy, via the medium of Horoscopes.

*Obviously, none of what follows is either advice or guidance.*

__♈ Aries (Ram): March 21–April 19__ - 
Ambitious climbers like you could do well to remember the power of long-term value investing to return mountain-high compounding.

__♉ Taurus (Bull): April 20–May 20__ - 
Bull by name, bullish by nature. Look for those momentum signals to identify potential holdings that will lead the charge.

__♊ Gemini (Twins): May 21–June 21__ - 
Doubling down on your strategy and increasing your exposure to generative AI stocks could lead to significant changes in your fortunes.

__♋ Cancer (Crab): June 22–July 22__ - 
With Saturn in transit consider moving sideways into adjacent verticals and markets in the healthcare space to further diversify your portfolio with additional arms and legs.

__♌ Leo (Lion): July 23–August 22__ - 
Does pride come before a fall? Now isn’t the time to rush to follow the latest tech trends and instead focus on strengthening your core holdings.

__♍ Virgo (Virgin): August 23–September 22__ - 
With mercury in retrograde you need to keep an open-mind about how best to position your portfolio. Don’t rush into any decisions and keep your powder dry.

__♎ Libra (Balance): September 23–October 23__ - 
Rebalancing your portfolio couldn’t come at a better time. Trim your leaders to take some profit and reinvest that in your next growth idea. Don’t forget to review the fundamentals and check for a strong balance sheet.

__♏ Scorpio (Scorpion): October 24–November 21__ - 
It’s well worth exploring options off the beaten path and increasing your exposure to private markets. Just watch out for the potential sting in the tail.

__♐ Sagittarius (Archer): November 22–December 21__ - 
As Venus is in the ascendancy now is the perfect time to be hunting for profit. Consider increasing concentration in your strongest small cap holdings to target potential gains.

__♑ Capricorn (Goat): December 22–January 19__ - 
Although you might be tempted to cut your losses, it’s worth remembering the original motivations for your investment case and remaining stubbornly invested to avoid crystallising the losses.

__♒ Aquarius (Water Bearer): January 20–February 18__ - 
Is it time to consider further diversification, diluting your exposure to markets that look like they may overheat and become steamy?

__♓ Pisces (Fish): February 19–March 20__ - 
Keep an eye out for potentially lucrative floats on the market, and your portfolio certainly won’t flounder.

For a more considered approach to segmentation and Targeted Support, or to discuss other emerging trends you might look to capitalise on, or just to get a personalised star reading, get in touch. 
If you do, I see great things in your future…

As advisers re-think their segmentation to deliver Targeted Support, could Horoscopes be the answer to identifying relevant investment opportunities? Strategy Director Dan Perry thinks… maybe

Star Fund Managers

Aviva has collaborated with Buzzfeed to create an emoji [guide to pensions](https://www.buzzfeed.com/aviva/the-emoji-guide-to-pensions?utm_term=.cy8n8q0ol#.ujREb6p4G), adopting the pictorial language to explain the complexities of saving for retirement to millennials in their own terms.

The step-by-step guide uses concise explanations with bold graphics in a typical Buzzfeed list format to engage a generation drawn to snappy headlines, simple visuals and instant information. As well as presenting bitesize summaries, the guide also acts as a platform directing readers to further in-depth material on the gov.uk website.

Although the article may not go viral, we think it is an interesting method of connecting with a younger audience by translating the serious topic into a more playful form.

Did you find it helpful?

Emoji used to express pensions

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