Franklin Templeton – AI Festival Activation
BRAND
Franklin Templeton
AGENCY
Pioneers Live
YEAR
2026
ROLE
Strategy & Ideation
Challenge
Franklin Templeton, one of the world's largest asset managers with almost 80 years of heritage, exhibited at the Big Bang AI Festival in Berlin, Europe's leading AI event for decision makers, ahead of the launch of Germany's new state-subsidised retirement account in January 2027.
The audience had come for keynotes, masterclasses and even robot boxing, but not necessarily for pensions. The challenge was to get thousands of AI-minded visitors interested in retirement savings and to make a heritage brand impossible to overlook in a hall full of technology.
Solution
The creative concept started with the brand's most distinctive asset. Franklin Templeton is named after Benjamin Franklin, whose portrait has been the company's logo for decades, drawn like a classic copperplate engraving.
We pulled Franklin out of that engraving and turned him into a neon pink Pop Art figure, inspired by artists such as Ottmar Hörl, and paired him with one simple message: "Germany is rethinking pensions. Do it like Franklin: Optimise your retirement savings with AI."
ABOUT
At the booth, visitors calculated their own pension plan with a financial AI app and then got "Franklinized": an AI Mirror turned hundreds of guests into neon versions of themselves, complete with Franklin's coat and wig, plus a souvenir photo to take home and share online. Beyond the booth, the concept extended to the stage program, including the visuals and presentations for the keynote "Investing in Intelligence" and the masterclass "AI is changing everything. Including your ETF investment."
As Freelance Creative Lead, I developed the creative concept, the target audience analysis, the booth and activation design and the stage visuals, working fully remotely with the Franklin Templeton team and the production partners in Berlin.
