• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, April 2, 2024

Citizens' latest advertising campaign addresses its support for personal services and financial planning to a variety of consumers, from the stable to the most wealthiest, regardless of where they are in their financial journey.

The multichannel brand campaign -- Ready to Make Sense of Your Money -- includes three television spots. Each invites consumers to filter out the noise in exchange for financial clarity through the company's wealth services as a trusted advisor.

Lori Dillon, Citizens CMO, says the greatest transfer of wealth from the baby boomer generation on down has begun, but many do not know how to invest for their own future. 

“Gen X, Millennials, and others will get more inheritance than we have seen passed through generations than we’ve ever seen before,” Dillon said. “This is the time to talk with people and help them plan for this transfer of wealth.”

Dillon recognizes that many financial brands talk about advice and guidance, but with its advertising agency, Ogilvy, focused on cultural context around events going on in the world.  

In June 2023, Citizens Financial Group significantly accelerated its private banking growth strategy with the addition of 50 new senior private bankers and related support staff in Boston, Florida, New York, and San Francisco.

Formerly from First Republic, the team joined Citizens to build out its Wealth Management department, scale Business Banking, grow deposits, and expand in key growth markets. The group and latest campaign are ready to support clients.

The first of three 30-second spots, Two Cents, begins with someone walking through their day getting two cents from many people, from cab driver to golf partner. At the end of the spot, he gets a call from his financial advisor and can finally ask the questions that he has been carrying with him throughout the day. 

The third 30-second spot is more geared toward bringing awareness around its wealth management business. It will run on connected television (CTV), which will allow Citizens to target a specific type of client who would qualify for the service. It addresses the one-percenters, the wealthiest consumers.

The branding campaign around awareness will include performance metrics that will tell Dillon if they are doing well. The campaign went through several tests before the campaign launched, from copy, rough drafts and story boards. After the spots launch, each goes through live tests to compare them with other commercials.

Aside from the three TV spots, Citizens also will run digital out of home ads in New York, as well as online social ads, and radio. Search ads will focus on wealth management and planning for paid media and search engine optimization, which is one way the company will collect data to retarget through ads and content.