In 1905, a group of founders set out to build an insurance company rooted in integrity, honesty and reliability. Even in that era, they understood the power of a brand and the human connection to symbols, prompting them to secure permission for the one likeness and name that best embodied the company’s ideals: Abraham Lincoln. To this day, Lincoln Financial remains the only company legally permitted to use his image [as part of their brand].

While those original ideals remain vividly alive, Lincoln Financial’s growth and innovation over the past 120 years called for a brand evolution – one that would reflect, and bolster, new business units, audiences, products and people. Lippincott’s goal was to craft a brand reflecting a rich heritage while ushering in a new and relevant chapter for what the brand means today. In short, we set out to define and activate a powerful brand that stands out across its categories and tells a confident, cohesive story.



Here’s how we did it.

Our research revealed clear themes for the new brand that leaned on both Lincoln’s legacy and its future aspirations—from its existing track record of acting with integrity and creating trusted, empowering relationships to its ambition to be known for serving a wider range of people and their evolving needs.


We delivered a brand strategy that translated Lincoln’s advantages and ambitions into a set of commitments that guide communications, behaviors, and experience across all interactions, product touchpoints and channels. The essence of the strategy was also expressed with a new tagline, Your tomorrow. Our priority: a succinct message that emphasizes customer-centricity, partnership, and prioritizing the future, while reinforcing our commitment to treat every customer’s goals with care.

From our deep dive into the industry and Lincoln’s competitors, we saw a clear opportunity to cut through the sea of ‘practical experts’ and ‘compassionate partners’ with a compelling brand personality and identity that balances optimism and sincerity. In honor of Abraham Lincoln, we called it “The Honest Visionary."



The brand’s visual identity had remained largely untouched for over 20 years—even as its business, organization, and industry context changed rapidly. The evolution began with the logo, where we retained the iconic likeness of Abraham Lincoln and updated it to signal warmth and a future-facing profile. This new image puts Lincoln at eye-level with the viewer and orients him towards a vibrant future.

The surrounding visual system builds on the idea of looking to the future through a combination of visual elements that center the brand on the people Lincoln serves every day.



Finally, the accompanying brand voice provides a framework for how Lincoln communicates its perspective, ​experience and forward outlook across all audience touchpoints.

To re-introduce the brand to the world, we started with the most important audience — employees — providing them with the tools they need to deliver the brand to customers. A comprehensive launch messaging and copy playbook, a dynamic leadership roadshow, an integrated employee engagement campaign, and an organization-wide immersion and training program helped generate understanding and excitement around the brand transformation and everyone's role in making it a reality.



For external audiences, key storytelling materials — from a brand anthem video to assets for social channels and animated signage for Lincoln Financial Field, supported the brand launch.



The new brand launched on September 16, 2024, unveiled at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for the Eagles’ first home game of the season.