Fintech or financial technology is an innovational and forward way of thinking that competes with the traditional financial methods of financial service and delivery. It is an emerging business that uses progressive technology and from a Statista study, has a total transaction value of $6,682,332m in the US in 2021. Some examples of fintech companies are Starling Bank, iZettle, PayPal, Stripe. When it comes to fintech it can be interesting to see what innovative ways in which these companies of the future can market themselves and their services. Today I am going to display my top 4 best fintech marketing campaigns, we have seen so far.
We will start with the recent Starling Bank advert, which promotes the ease of being able to sign up to your bank from anywhere. In times gone past, signing up to get an account with a company has been a long and arduous process. Sometimes this results in actually having to show up in a bank’s shop, or showing countless documents and papers. However Starling and as you see in their advert flip that on its head and deliver a service that means all you need is to say the phrase “Hello, Starling Bank” on a video, on the app provided. No longer is a PC or an in-store service needed. You can continue your life and just use your mobile to sign up. The advert demonstrates this with scenes of someone walking a dog, bathing a baby, preparing dinner, while signing up to Starling. The advert really demonstrates this new future of banking and fintech and shows how financial marketing is evolving and it’s for the better. The advert was created by a creative agency, Ekstasy (us!). I feel the advert best encompasses this message for Starling’s new customers and its existing two million online users. That banking is there to help when you need it, not to get in the way of your everyday life.
PayPal is a big name in fintech that has been around for a while. Although over time it has encountered lots of competitors it has struggled to compete with. In 2012, then President David Marcus noticed this transition. Paypal was becoming old and its reputation with its customers was dimming. So after a bit of a revamp and a shake-up of staff and direction, they released a series of adverts that showcased Jeff Goldblum. He was discussing the new features of Paypal. With a message of the service no longer just offering one way to pay. The platform gives users the option of online, mobile, and in-store payments in no longer than 30-second clips. Using the phrase “We’re now accepted everywhere.” The app has come a long way since it was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002 and then split in 2014. Now worth more than Mastercard, the company has a market value is now $359 billion. Paypal is a great example of the early innovation of fintech.
For our third campaign, we are going to be turning to the friendly face of Steve Jobs. Since 2007 when Apple was finding its feet releasing the iPhone first generation to now 2021 and they are releasing an iPhone 13 and have created a powerhouse brand and released some of the best advertising campaigns. In 2015 Apple created the first mobile contactless wallet, which would change the way we make payments. It provided ease of safety when paying and also managing your banking in one place. It also changed the way in which brands interact with their customers. The iPhone 6 released at a similar time, had a UK advert promoting it while also promoting the new Apple Pay feature. It showed the mobile being used to make contactless payments at similar high street names, Costa, M&S, Liberty. It demonstrated the ease of the feature and also how you could use it. It also drilled the point that mobiles now manage so much in our life it’s time to be innovative and to also manage our banking. Of course, the release of Apple Pay has become a massive success and prompted banking companies like HSBC and Visa to also create adverts showing the ease of the service.
For our last pick, we have the 2019 American Express, US campaign, “I Got This”. The advert was created to promote the Green Card, one of the brand’s most iconic cards, and celebrates its 50th anniversary. Back when it was introduced as “a new kind of money for world travel and entertainment”. It was the first card of its kind to meet consumer needs as the travel industry started to take off in the US. Now with its redesign for the average customer of the journey and adventure usage but also for the ordinary simple things in life. The campaign shows real examples of the Card’s new features through short snippets that reflect the playful and ordinary lives of Card Members. Doing tasks like helping parents with a cheque, getting chips for the table, or trips to weddings. Created for TV, OOH, and social platforms the new campaign shows a modern and fresh look to the brand and product and appeals to their audience of today.
As financial services have become a large percentage of the economy in the world. With more interest, and capital being poured into improving financial services technology. There have been many great recent innovations that provide better opportunities, and returns for investors. People are able to take advantage of remote computing through the use of the smartphone and can use it as a tool. It makes not only the business the innovators but also the customers. There are currently over 1,600 different cryptocurrencies. Now with the success of Bitcoin, there has been a major boom in investment. Cryptocurrency as a whole is a multi-hundred-billion-dollar industry with many investors and opportunities.