How the rest of the world is getting people to talk about money, and doing it very well

The UK is often put on a pedestal when it comes to personal finance innovation and marketing. We’re home to Martin Lewis, Monzo and, of course, the Comparethemarket Meerkat.   

In fact, the first comparison site ad for Comparethemarket featuring Aleksandr the meerkat first launched just over 15 years ago – in January 2009. Since then, we’ve seen countless campaigns aiming to drive consumers to care more about money.  

As well as world beating banks and institutional financial giants, we’re also proud a leader in the global fintech revolution, creating some of the most successful disruptors, challengers and neo banks in the world, Revolut, Starling and Wise to name a few.    

And while I’m proud of the work we’ve all done in the communications industry to make money matters more accessible, fun and dare I say it, ‘trendy’, there’s a lot we could learn from the rest of the world too. As we’ve innovated and developed, so have all corners of the globe.  

Here’s my pick of the best (and most surprising) campaigns from places you might not expect in the last months:  

1. ‘Gamification’ – the popular tool used by brands to entertain and reward consumers – is now seen in promotion of financial services products across the globe. A good example of this can be found in the Philippines, where financial literacy is known to be very low and take up of insurance products is even lower – the lowest in Southeast Asia. Last autumn, life insurer, FWD Life Philippines created a fully-fledged game show on Facebook Live. Think the Traitors, but replace Claudia Winkleman with Filipino social media stars who battle it out over personal finance puzzles. The livestream event panned out across three months and players from different generations contested to win prizes that would ‘transform their financial outlook’. Known as Pinoy Money Master, the game concept was the first of its kind to promote financial literacy in the Philippines. It recently won praise across social media, with people (seemingly for the first time) caring about their financial knowledge and sharing their experiences.

Read more at: https://www.fwd.com.ph/pinoy-money-master/

2. Sticking to the playful theme, money and beer might seem like a risky combination for anyone working in financial services in the UK, but the team at Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) didn’t think so, and partnered with Pilsen Callao to create BCPilsen. To promote financial literacy among young people, a digital platform was co-authored by the bank and beer brand to combine savings tips with prizes and games. Pilsen’s bottle return program also promoted saving as BCP’s savings app encouraged automatic saving with every bottle recycled. Good for the planet and your bank balance.

Read more at: https://www.pilsencallao.com.pe/bcp

3. Across the pond, payment platform Venmo partnered with industry giant, Hallmark to produce physical greeting cards embedded with monetary QR codes. People could buy a card, add the chosen about of money and include a personal note. The recipients would scan the QR code which would release the money straight into their Venmo account. Designed to bridge a gap between gift giving tradition and digital savvy generations, the concept was designed to encourage people to see Venmo as a way to give gifts safely,  keep Hallmark relevant to a younger generation and Venmo to new, older users.

Read more at: https://www.hallmark.com/venmo-greeting-cards/

4. On the other side of the world, global insurance giant Allianz launched a free learn-to-swim program in Australia. What gives an insurance brand licence to teach swimming? Simply the  desire to reduce  accidents and injuries caused by people swimming without the right level of skill and knowledge. The insurance company found that one in four Australian adults are either weak swimmers or can’t swim at all. Enter Allianz’s Swim Club. At 15 pools in five states, adults were offered eight lessons in eight weeks, free of charge. Thousands of people registered for the first series, and Allianz plans to expand the program in 2024.

Find out more at: https://www.allianz.com.au/about-us/partnerships/swim-club.html  

While we’d never advocate producing carbon copies of work, there’s ALWAYS something to be said for learning from each other.  

These campaigns worked because they were insightful, connected to brand purpose and surprising in their execution.  Each of my top picks are based on solving a problem, in a clear and simple way, relevant for the person it aims to help.  

When planning with our clients, we’re always looking for inspiration from different sectors, walks of life and places in the world. If you’re interested in hearing more about how we approach creativity, check out examples of our work  

Kelly Taylor, Director and Personal Finance Lead at Citypress