Harbor Capital – Pickleball

Background

Harbor Capital Advisors is a boutique investment partner headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. In 2025, the firm launched a full suite of model solutions with one clear goal: to help financial advisors grow their businesses.

The launch marked a key milestone in Harbor’s history, and the team needed a suite of videos to promote its expanded value proposition to US financial advisors.

The challenge

Differentiation is a perennial challenge for investment managers. This campaign was a departure from previous efforts, with a brief to go beyond simply “meeting the people” behind the investments — a common goal for asset managers pursuing thought leadership. How could Harbor create accessible video content that shone a spotlight on their people and truly stand out in a crowded marketplace?

The approach

Asset managers often take a risk-averse approach to marketing, and for good reason. However, Harbor had recently refreshed its brand and was prepared to take a calculated creative risk with this series.

We identified what made Harbor distinctive and how those qualities could be translated to film. Key elements included its people-first philosophy and its sponsorship of Major League Pickleball (MLP).

Following a rigorous casting process, we shortlisted a group of Harbor’s leading characters who could authentically represent the firm’s values and approach on camera. The MLP sponsorship proved to be a fantastic storytelling opportunity, and the perfect metaphor for Harbor’s manager research process.

Inspired by Welcome to Wrexham, the video focuses on an unscripted pickleball match, with the contributors invited to improvise light-hearted “fighting talk” and share their perspectives on what sets Harbor apart — with humourous results.

The outcome

Harbor trusted us to tell an energetic story in a documentary style. The result was a video series that clearly demonstrates why Harbor is different and has since been published across their channels.

The highlight, Pickleball meets Manager Research, is a genuinely distinctive film that sets Harbor Capital apart from its competitors in asset management. By taking a familiar topic — investment management — out of the office and into a dynamic, unexpected setting, the film allowed for humour and jeopardy without diluting the key brand messages. The contributors’ confidence and rapport bring the story to life, resulting in a film that reflects Harbor’s integrity and inclusive culture.