I was going to write about what the day meant to me as a midlife woman who identifies as the home CFO; about the pleasure of being in a space where you could talk about money and wealth without having to break down patriarchal barriers and find language that you can relate to. I could have written pages on what it felt like to be surrounded by women who came as their full selves, because the event unashamedly invited them to. Or on how humbled I was to have vulnerable conversations with women I’d only just met, about goals, relationships, mental health and neurodivergence.
But sharing our sponsor booth with two wonderful wāhine who write much better than I do means I can leave that story in their capable hands. Instead (dear reader), I am writing about the creative fulfilment of being part of a considered, humanistic marketing and brand strategy in this strange era of standardised “best practice”.
Back in June, the team had just made the decision to sponsor Her Wealth, Her Way, and we needed to give the organisers a half-page magazine advert (a rarity for our mostly online existence). Our book theme was in its infancy, but that was enough for a brief: cosy, comfortable and inviting imagery. Oh, and could I get it done before heading off on a six-week family holiday in four days’ time? I thrive with a deadline, so I was all in. There wasn’t time to create new brand assets, so I worked with illustrations already in our kit, tweaking elements along the way to speak to the audience we expected on the day.
After the holiday, I came back to a much more fleshed-out concept. Decisions had been made about what successful sponsorship looked like for PocketSmith and how branded collateral could support this. Being a techy but crafty bunch, we wanted a booth people could take part in that was tactile, interesting and intentional. It would act as the icebreaker for storytelling, curiosity and empathy.
Once the idea was conceived to ask women, “What chapter are you in?”, it felt so right that everything seemed to just fall into place. We had these four chapters, which represented a different financial stage of your life; they don’t last forever, and they don’t always exist in isolation. Because I am a designer who likes things to be tidy and organised, I wanted the chapters to feel part of a set, but each had to stand on its own — clear distinction was imperative at our booth because time was precious. These constraints were glorious to work within, and I envisioned each chapter like it was the cover of a book in a series of four.
If you look at just the imagery, it could all exist in the same frame as different perspectives of one space — a warm lounge room where books are read, written and knocked off couches by pets and kids. In order to create stand-alone pieces, I used typography to do the heavy lifting. When you work for a company with a signature style and well-established brand history, it’s not often you get a chance to completely blow up convention four times over and lean so heavily into word art.
All in all, we completed five pieces of collateral for the event — the magazine advert, an enamel pin for booth participants, a set of four bookmarks (one for each chapter), the actual activation board for the booth and a screen to display results as attendees chose their chapters. Starting from such a thoughtful concept allowed each piece room to grow, and nothing felt like it was there just to show our logo or tick a box.
It was so refreshing (and challenging) to take something as historically corporate as an event sponsorship booth and give it an entirely new dynamic, one where craft is queen, and the human experience is at the centre. The main goal wasn’t revenue or sign-ups, but meaningful engagement and holding space for anyone to chat (about anything). Rejecting convention opened up a world of creativity and hope, and I felt like I was back at design school, buried deep in creative work and seeing a project evolve into something with lasting meaning beyond the single day it was made for.
Mindy Wigglesworth, Senior Digital Designer
The heart of our booth! A simple question that starts with one’s story, not budgets: What chapter are you in?
My highlight of the day was having meaningful conversations with so many different and interesting women, all with their own stories and perspectives on money. One woman shared how she was “turning the page” as she had just moved into a caravan to work remotely while exploring Australia! It was really cool to hear the variety of thoughts around everyone’s financial eras, and then see the excitement when they gave their chosen button a big press. It really felt like a safe space where women could openly share their experiences and goals.
Writing the Next Chapter was the clear chapter winner, which initially came as a surprise to me. I thought perhaps Turning the Page might be the most popular, but as more women came by and pressed the button, sharing their reasoning along the way, it started to make perfect sense. I interpreted Writing the Next Chapter as looking towards the future, setting goals and planning for whatever comes next. Whether that meant working towards a big life change, building financial independence or simply feeling more confident with money, many women seemed to be thinking about what their next chapter could look like.
One of my biggest takeaways from the day was just how personal everyone’s relationship with money is. No two conversations were quite the same, and it was interesting to see how different life experiences shaped the way women thought and talked about their finances. What stood out most was the openness and enthusiasm to share those experiences with others. It was a great reminder that, no matter what financial era you’re in, there’s always another chapter to look forward to.
Eliza Goldsmith, Marketing and Culture Coordinator
Our lovely booth with our even lovelier team.
When we were first offered the chance to be part of Her Wealth, Her Way, I was immediately excited. How often do events for women, run by women, come across your desk — especially in personal finance? But that was also exactly why I was a bit nervous. Because events like this are so rare, it felt like there was more riding on it. I didn’t want us to do a disservice to it or to the women in the room (totally self-inflicted anxiety, I know). I shouldn’t have worried. A space filled with that many women was only ever going to be welcoming and uplifting.
The whole process has been a joy. This was PocketSmith’s first real consumer-facing event, and the hard sell isn’t in our nature as a company or a marketing team. We’re not salespeople, we’re storytellers, and we stayed true to that. Storytelling shaped how we approached what we did at our booth, and it shaped how we showed up on the day. Because we work in an environment where experimentation is encouraged, we got to take this all the way from the first spark of an idea to running the booth on the day of the event. I’d never had the chance to do that before, and creatively, I loved every minute of it.
There was something special about how it all came together, too. Our side of things was dreamed up, built and run almost entirely by women, and we got to bring it to an event that mirrored that. Women are so often overlooked and underserved in personal finance, even though we’re active, smart and engaged in it, both behind and in front of the counter. Being part of a day that put us front and centre meant a lot.
And the stories! Our booth asked women to share what chapter they’re in, but storytelling was everywhere you looked. Speakers on stage, attendees meeting for the first time and swapping their own, and so many women generously sharing theirs with us. There were wins and losses, and everything in between, and there was so much truth in all of it.
I left the day with a real warmth and appreciation for women in general, and especially for the three I got to make this happen with — Dora, who brought so much to it but couldn’t be there on the day, and Mindy and Eliza, who I got to share it with in person. Big shout out to James as well, for all of the work he put into building our button board!
Women are so special. I loved this day.
Chloe Adams, Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager
