Financial services and the cost of living crisis

The pandemic really set the tone for solemn, deeply sincere condolences from brands. And, whilst some were poignant, most were simply platitudes. This blog post outlines how financial services organisations need to go beyond the obvious and understand their audience on a nuanced, intimate level.

The pandemic really set the tone for solemn, deeply sincere condolences from brands. And, whilst some were poignant, most were simply platitudes. 

I believe that collective psychology has moved on from the shock of lockdowns. The expressions of generic sympathy are no longer going to cut it.

As the cost of living crisis mounts, brands need to focus on two (interrelated) ideas: human truth and utility.

FS brands need to go beyond the obvious and understand their audience on a nuanced, intimate level. Those that do are the ones that will say things that actually resonate and, critically, stand out in a crowded marketplace. My counsel is for FS brands to pause and invest in understanding their audience’s experience qualitatively and tangentially before deciding their messaging. It takes time, empathy and a delicacy uncommon in modern marketing but the discovery of such human truths can be revelatory.

 Appreciating your audience in this delicate, human way also gives brands direction on what meaningfully their target audience crave and need. Using this information, brands should focus on programmes that genuinely help and are not thinly-veiled attempts to push products. Take it back to the fundamental principles of content marketing: content (or activity) that’s truly ‘valuable and relevant to the target audience’. 

Whilst FS brands should not go beyond where they have legitimacy, they must be confident to constructively support their audience on issues that are not directly related to their service offering. This audience-first, unbiased, utilitarian approach is on point for the public mood and is proven to build trust and positive brand sentiment

How can alan. help?

Great B2B marketing makes you think. And feel. At alan, we take marketers beyond where they’re comfortable. We push brands to find truths that matter and tell them in ways that make spines tingle, skin prickle, hearts race…and brains tick. 

Through our ‘research first’ approach we challenge, investigate and interrogate to find the stories that brands must tell, using intelligence, imagination and emotion to tell them in ways that just can’t be ignored. 

Want to find out more about how alan. can help you with your B2B visceral marketing? Contact us on 020 3877 3800 or email contact@alan-agency.com.