Money Money Money

By Ritchie Emslie, Chief Strategy Officer

Illustrated blog header for “Money, Money, Money” exploring how financial institutions market a healthier relationship with money. A spiral notebook shows handwritten financial calculations beside a black-and-gold pen, coffee cup and Evolve logo. The article examines Citibank’s “Live Richly,” Scotiabank’s “You’re Richer Than You Think” and Edward Jones’ “We Do Money Differently” and “Let’s Find Your Rich” campaigns. It traces how financial services marketing has shifted from traditional goals, products and life stages toward financial well-being, personal values and what makes customers happy. While these bank and wealth management campaigns share similar messages about money, their strategies and customer promises differ. The blog argues that financial brands need to connect brand positioning and advertising with tangible customer benefits, products and experiences, using examples such as Citi ThankYou Rewards and Scotiabank Scene+.

Edward Jones’ “We Do Money Differently” was launched in Canada 2023 and that sentiment continues today in the US under a campaign called “Let’s Find Your Rich.” (Worrisomely, Edward Jones’ felt the need to trademark that line.)

A brief timeline of financial institutions using a “healthy approach to managing money” strategy:

Citibank (2001)

Citibank was the original “healthy approach” bank. Launched in 2001, the “Live Richly” campaign was largely New York-based: outdoor (Times Square) and print (The New Yorker). Live Richly shifted perspectives from goals and milestones (buying a home, saving for college) to evaluating the everyday role of money. In 2001 all banks talked about goals and life stages, a perspective tied to managing and selling financial products, and one that is far away from how real people managed their finances on a daily basis. This shift, a critical component of the strategy, paved the way for “healthy approach” marketing by FIs in other regions beyond the U.S. East Coast.

The Live Richly campaign was refreshingly unbank-like with unforgettable copywriting:
“The bank for the upwardly normal.”
“No, gravitational physics makes the world go around.”
“Why do we spend our youth chasing money and, when we find it, spend our money chasing youth?”
“If you gave up your morning coffee for a year, you could make an extra mortgage payment. But man, you’d be grumpy.”

Scotiabank (2006)

“You’re Richer Than You Think” launched in 2006 and, in Canada, famously offered a more hopeful perspective on financial success. The campaign was “reintroduced” in 2023 but the original themes and perspectives remain consistent. In the 2023 tv spot characters in restaurants, cars and homes feel like they are missing out on getting “more” until ScotiaBank enlightenment hits them. It is like a 30s riff on an old Citi line: “The best table in the city is the one with your family around it.“

Edward Jones (2023)

The “We Do Money Differently” TV spot asks the question: “Isn’t it time to obsess over something other than money?” In radio spots and online videos customers describe how Edward Jones representatives build plans that are important to them, not someone else.

Avoiding category sameness is often cited by these FIs when launching consumer-oriented campaigns. Rightly so. Perhaps distinctiveness will be threatened with the increased adoption of “healthy approach” FI brands, but this line of questioning misses a more salient point.

The sentiment of all three campaigns may be similar (if not the same), but the claimed rationale differs:

  • Citibank’s campaign rationale was broad, altruistic and deeply positive: there’s huge cohorts, overlooked by the banks, who fund what makes them happy.
  • Scotiabank’s rationale takes a consumer confidence perspective: “Canadians are spending a record amount of time worrying about finances.”
  • Edward Jones’ rationale is rooted in its track record and ability to deliver differentiated services: “The highest in overall investor satisfaction with full-service wealth management firms.”

These starting points should guide not just the communication but the experience too. “Live Richly” led to the development of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program. In-branch service, the sales approach and customer tracking were all overhauled to align with the new position. Like Citi, Scotiabank also tied their campaign to both banking and lifestyle perks: the Scene+ Card.

Ultimately, customers want more than just shared values from their financial partner. There has to be tangible, functional advantages too. Something deeper than “comprehensive planning” and “trusted relationships.” Otherwise, as Citi might say, customers might get grumpy.