for the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit, May 6-8 in Palm Springs.
Vaibhav Khullar, a London-based banking technology startup founder, noticed that digital ads alone wouldn’t generate a big enough bump in business. Six months ago, he decided that content, or branded stories, could be the answer.
“We started off with paid advertising, but online ads aren’t good for the market we’re working in,” said Khullar, the founder of six-year-old OSREC Financial, whose clients are mostly banks and hedge funds. “People who are tech savvy aren’t going to be as influenced by online ads as a high-quality article that’s shared around — it could be an article talking about things that might address an existing problem.”
In finance, content marketing has become a must-have to keep customers and attract new ones. But it’s a cluttered market. It’s tough for a company to distinguish its voice from others presenting the same topic in a similar format or style. For example, the “news and stories” section of Chase’s website features the headline “7 essential rules of saving“; Bank of America’s “Better Money Habits” offers “7 steps to stay financially fit” and Capital One weighs in on “7 ways to enjoy your wedding season without crushing your wallet.” The similarity in look, feel and presentation can make branded articles seem less authentic.
“You’re generally going into a marketplace where everyone is just shouting,” said Khullar. “It’s eventually going to be a mess of noise, and there’s going to be nothing coherent to be heard.”
More in Marketing
Ipsy joins the WNBA craze as the official beauty partner of the Las Vegas Aces
The three-year partnership will see Ipsy’s logo show up on the Aces’ jerseys, on the free-throw line of the court and on the backboard of the Aces’ home court.
Ford, Nissan and State Farm are embedding their brands in sports as they chase fandoms
Advertisers are rewriting the branded entertainment playbook for a sports-focused media landscape.
Possible expands not only its area but also its marketer presence, aka ‘gold dust’
Besides taking over an adjacent hotel, the conference is holding more events on the beach as it ramps up its meetups between marketers and vendors.