Connect with execs from The New York Times, TIME, Dotdash Meredith and many more

Citizens Bank is selling millennials a comfortable, enjoyable life of travel, adventure and everything short of avocado toast in an effort to grow its student loan refinancing business.
In order for the Providence, Rhode Island bank to reach millennials, it needs ads that speak to what they want: balance across their personal, professional and financial lives, according to Lori Dillon, Citizens’ director of brand, advertising and consumer strategy.
“We highlight the savings they can get on their monthly payments and what they can do with it,” like traveling and other experiences, Dillon said. Similarly, SoFi ran a “Relax and Refi” campaign last fall that focused on addressing borrowers’ anxiety over paying off loans.
Citizens’ approach is to target its major markets like Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with television, direct mail and digital ads, with the objective to build a following based on brand trust. Ads feature employees to convey Citizens’ community approach and the ability to talk to someone, a feature Dillon said millennials want.
More in Marketing

In Graphic Detail: Inside the state of the creator economy industrial complex
The creator economy might have started out as an alternative to traditional media, but is becoming more and more like it as it professionalizes.

Shopify has quietly set boundaries for ‘buy-for-me’ AI bots on merchant sites
The change comes at a time when major retailers like Amazon and Walmart are leaning into agentic AI.

WTF is ‘Google Zero’?
The era of “Google Zero” — industry shorthand for a world where Google keeps users inside its own walls — is here.