The financial services industry offers many types of experiential campaigns to attract new customers, drive brand loyalty and increase activations. From sports sponsorships to setting up once-in-a-lifetime experiences, these financial services experiential campaigns are some of the most innovative and inspiring we could find. Take note of how these top brands leverage data, the consumer experience and brand loyalty.
It's common for banks and other financial institutions to sponsor sports games and stadiums, but Capital One takes it a step further with the Final Four Fan Fest.
This event, which takes place during the NCAA's Final Four basketball tournament, brings in sports fans of all ages. Capital One brings in vendors, interactive games, signings, celebrities and athletes, clinics and more. Cardholders get free tickets for this weekend-long event, as well as a priority registration line and early access.
MasterCard is well-known for its various "Priceless" advertising campaigns, and the credit card company uses it as the basis for an experiential campaign as well. It used a lottery format to draw people's names as the recipients of priceless surprises. These experiences came in many forms, from celebrity meet and greets to unforgettable dinners.
One of the advantages of this campaign is that MasterCard can tailor it to the current trends, the tastes of the winner, any geographic or scheduling restrictions and countless other factors. The company has a lot of flexibility in fulfilling the campaign promise, as well as generating a lot of content that can be repurposed for other advertising formats.
While the MasterCard Priceless campaign has been a consistent success for over 17 years, over the past few years it's really started to shine. The CFO is allocating a higher budget for marketing and MasterCard now has a value of $49.9 billion.
TD Bank is another financial company that leverages a campaign format that's customizable and suitable for long-term usage. The #TDThanksYou campaign, which they typically launch for their customer appreciation day, shows customers how much they mean to the bank. The campaign takes several forms, such as converting an ATM into an Automated Thanking Machine. They also offered individual experiences for some customers, sending them on trips, providing them with tickets to unique events and other personalized touches.
One version of this campaign resulted in a 26 percent increase in brand affinity, consumers feeling two times more likely to have positive feelings about TD Bank, and YouTube videos that ended up being some of the most watched in Canada.
American Express offers a number of business credit cards geared specifically to small business owners. It supports this community in several ways, such as the American Express Open Forum, but one of its best-known initiatives is Small Business Saturday.
It falls immediately after Black Friday and encourages holiday shoppers to visit the small businesses in their town rather than going to big box stores. Amex provides an interactive map that labels local businesses that accept American Express as a payment option, as well as other promotional material. Customers and small businesses spend a lot of their own time and resources on promoting this event, which helps to increase its visibility and effectiveness each year.
Madison Square Garden is an exciting place filled with plenty of events, but sometimes it can get a bit hectic with all the crowds. While it offers several cardholder perks, such as access to exclusive tickets and other promotions, the real winner is the lounges that it runs at this event center.
Customers get to spend their time away from the massive, loud crowds that can make waiting a stressful experience. Complimentary food and drinks can even make this a highlight of the event too. A cash bar gives attendees another option for getting alcoholic beverages, and the pricing may be better than those available elsewhere in the venue.
The senior vice president for sports and entertainment marketing at Chase, Frank Nakano, says, "We know people have a choice, and when at the Garden, we want fans to know Chase is there to better their experience."
SoFi sponsors a number of sporting events, and it often requests several rows or sections of premium seating in the venue. For example, at the Big Ten tournament, it had four rows of seating available and space in one of the lounges.
Rather than offering these seats at a high price to people unable to buy tickets to such an in-demand tournament, they wanted to help their typical customer have a once in a lifetime experience. Their customers don't have the disposable income to access this type of seating in many cases, so they're getting something that's truly – to steal a phrase from MasterCard – priceless.
This financial company spends a lot of its marketing budget on efforts to improve customer loyalty. Experiential marketing is a vital part of these campaigns, which show through in its significant investments in these areas.
American Express created an experiential campaign that didn't even require its audience to leave their couches. The credit card issuer partnered with Luxe Box, a high-end subscription box company. The Reset and Refresh box featured high-end cosmetic brands, including world-renowned Fenty Beauty, GLAMGLOW and Elizabeth Arden.
Only American Express cardholders had access to this limited edition box, which sold out. It capitalizes on the popularity of beauty boxes to offer a quality home experience. Including some brands which are not typically seen in beauty boxes was another way of giving their customers something special. They sold 5,000 boxes and received media mentions from influencers and blogs who wouldn't typically cover credit cards.
When you consider experiential marketing campaigns for your financial company, spend some time getting inspired by these options. These formats might not all work for your company's needs and budgets, but they can form the foundation of something truly transformative for your customers and prospects.
