Financial brands are having a moment. For the last 20 years, technology was the golden child of brand-consumer relationships. They were intimate, irreverent, and fun—embodying disruption and innovation as they embedded themselves deeper into the lives of consumers. Recently, while tech brands have lost some of their luster, a shift is happening in the financial world. Whether banking services, investment management, or new fintech, people are paying more attention to their money, exploring what’s new, and talking about their finances in a much more public and personal way. The financial brands who recognize what’s happening are starting to take advantage of the moment.
A perfect storm of financial engagement
Today, influencers talk openly about money on YouTube and FinTok. People discuss their retirement plans on Reddit threads and at lunch with their friends. This is all happening within the context of two polarized trends.
- As more wealth continues to flow upward, it has created a growing population of people now considered high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW).
- On the other end of the spectrum, a growing population is experiencing economic uncertainty from rising inflation, high housing costs and job insecurity.
While these two groups may seem like they have vastly different needs, both segments are more open than ever to experiment with new financial and investment products. At the upper end, people with new wealth are seeking better ways to manage and grow their capital. And at the other end, people are looking for ways to make their income go further, and get a piece of the pie that they feel shut out from.
How financial services companies can tap into the moment
1. Expand your content strategy, while feeding the LLMs
This moment of exploration is driven by people who love self-guided learning. Let’s face it, most consumers today aren’t going to dig deep into your website looking for answers to their financial questions. They’re immersed in YouTube and TikTok, where they expect to see everything first-hand. Brands that double down on content, especially in consumable formats, such as step-by-step guides, Q&As, and short videos, will attract and retain these visitors AND strengthen LLM visibility. To keep growing reach and LLM notice, sites like Reddit are also effective—a win-win.
2. Focus on human problems, not just financial ones
Money touches nearly every major life decision from healthcare and education to career changes and retirement. Yet many financial products are marketed as if those realities exist separately. The brands experiencing the most growth today start with a human challenge and then build solutions around it. Synchrony Bank recognized that financial hardship rarely arrives on a predictable schedule. This led to the creation of a new program that supports customers facing unemployment, hospitalization, disability, and other unexpected disruptions. Anchored in the positioning, “payments for what matters,” they’re not just offering a financial product. They’re delivering a solution to real challenges customers need help with.
3. Expand access to expertise and opportunity
Products and capabilities that were once reserved for institutions and elite investors are increasingly becoming available to individuals. Not only does this expand growth opportunities for financial firms, but it creates goodwill with customers who previously felt excluded. We saw this play out in our work for Wellington Asset Management. After a century of building its reputation by exclusively serving institutional investors, we helped them create their first-ever public-facing campaign to introduce advisors and their clients to investment capabilities that had historically remained behind institutional walls.
The familiar, personal language didn’t just announce a new offering. It invited people to engage with Wellington and gain access to new expertise and opportunity.
Earlier this year, I had the honor of judging at the FCS Awards where CBOE won “People’s Choice” for their “Life is Better With Options” campaign. They didn’t just open up a complicated asset class to a wider audience; they demystified it and helped customers understand it as an obvious choice for any diversified portfolio. Other good examples of this include Bank of America’s Alts Expanded Access program and CME Group’s Single Stock Futures.
If you’re in doubt about where to find new or valuable offerings for your clients, consider where you can open more access to what you already have. There may be a market for it.
Giving people what they truly need
The firms that stand out won’t necessarily be those with the lowest fees, the newest features, or the deepest product suite. Instead, it will be the ones who can build trust and connect with customers on a personal level—helping them understand complexity, navigate challenges, and access opportunities that previously felt out of reach. Who better to do this than the very brands that for decades have built their reputations around legacy, heritage and stability. Because in the end, the most valuable product a financial services firm can deliver, may end up being confidence.