T. Rowe Price debuts Oculus installation for active ETFs

T. Rowe Price opened “Signals From the Noise,” a data-driven installation, at The Shops at the Oculus inside the Westfield World Trade Center on July 22. The exhibit runs for two days through July 23 and is intended to spotlight the firm’s active ETF lineup.

The sculptural piece is about 10 feet tall and 37 feet wide. It features thousands of drifting light particles that shift into flowing patterns and color changes. The artist used two years of market data to program the particles so they move from apparent disorder into structured forms, a visual representation the firm says aligns with how its active ETF managers search for market signals.

The display sits in a high-traffic retail concourse in Lower Manhattan and was produced with creative and production partners. The installation will be accompanied by subway advertisements, digital campaigns across New York and signage tied to an upcoming football season.

Kelly Fredrickson, head of global brand and public relations at T. Rowe Price, said research on financial advisors informed the concept and the choice of a cultural venue. She described the team’s approach as guided by three principles: “breakthrough creative, outsmarting rather than outspending competitors, and measuring everything.”

The exhibit continues a multiyear program of public activations designed to raise brand awareness. Past stunts included cars wrapped in tickers in San Francisco and a flipped newsstand in New York to dramatize market volatility.

T. Rowe Price plans to measure reach and impact with brand-lift studies that compare impressions among people exposed to the installation, subway ads and accompanying content with those who were not exposed. The firm reported that after last year’s activation, perceptions of the company as innovative and as a premier brand rose among people who saw the stunt.

The active ETF lineup highlighted by the installation now comprises more than 30 funds with combined assets exceeding $25 billion. Video segments tied to the piece feature lead portfolio manager Jodi Love and Dom Rizzo, manager of the T. Rowe Price Technology ETF (TTEQ). Rizzo told the project team during preproduction, “my portfolio is my art.”

T. Rowe Price is also pursuing targeted digital outreach for newer products. The firm created a standalone account on X for its recently launched Active Crypto ETF (TKNZ), saying crypto-focused investors are more reachable there than through conventional channels.