UBS has recruited famed photographer Annie Leibovitz to lead its first global brand campaign since 2009.

The Swiss bank today (1 September) launches a digitally-focused campaign, alongside a more “contemporary” visual and sonic branding, following a three-month internal engagement drive.

The campaign will feature more than 40 Nobel Prize-winning economists, while ads also introduce the new line, “For some of life’s questions you are not alone. Together we can find an answer.”

UBS claims that over 70% of the media investment will focus on digital and social media channels, allowing the brand to better target its audience, as well as optimising and measuring the campaign as needed.

The campaign was created by Publicis UK, with support from the agency’s offices in Zurich, Hong Kong and New York.

UBS chief executive Sergio Ermotti said: “The brand campaign is an expression of the successful strategic transformation UBS has undergone over the past four years. Reflecting the strategic transformation through our branding gives us additional momentum.”

Johan Jervøe, chief marketing officer, added: “Our clients stand at the centre of this campaign and the vast majority of them are extremely digitally savvy. They appreciate a bank that has an effective and efficient 21st-century approach to everything it does – including marketing.”

As part of the activity, UBS has entered a wider “cultural partnership” with Annie Leibovitz, commissioning a series of photographs of women who “effect positive change”.

These and existing works will be shown as part of an exhibition tour called ‘Women’, launching in London in January 2016 and touring 10 global cities.