Dianomi are experts in financial services advertising – since 2003 we have run thousands of campaigns for well known banks and financial services clients. Our clients include Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, DBS, Citibank, PIMCO, ASX, Nomura, BlackRock, Charles Schwab, HSBC and abrdn.
Our finance ads are only seen by users already reading about business and money on 350 premium finance sites including WSJ, Reuters, CNN Business, MarketWatch, City AM and Sydney Morning Herald.
Dianomi’s Financial Services Marketing 2024 event in Sydney
Financial services advertising for marketers
How important is context for financial services advertising?
The context in which an advertisement for financial services advertisement is viewed is very important. Trust is an absolute necessity for users when dealing with financial services companies and, therefore, it is essential to appear alongside high quality content whilst avoiding low quality websites (especially MFAs) or environments where an advertisement for a trustworthy client may be viewed alongside fraud or low quality content.
The “tsunami” of fraud is to be avoided
In recent years there has been a tsunami of digital fraud on social media and on poor quality sites. This has been widely documented but shows no sign of slowing down.
Victims speak out over ‘tsunami’ of fraud on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp (The Guardian)
Martin Lewis (Money Saving Expert) gives evidence to the UK parliament about fraud: “I am very disappointed at how many scam ads still happen on Facebook … the torrent of scams”
Compliance
Compliance with applicable law is essential for financial services advertising.
Guaranteed returns, over-optimistic advertising or incorrectly targeted advertising can attract substantial fines or prison terms.
Understanding local markets is also essential – what is perfectly legal in Singapore may be illegal in Australia or vice versa and what is legal in Australia may not be legal in the UK or vice versa.
Regulation
Regulators will require advertisers offering most financial services to be licensed if operating from their jurisdiction or offering services to potential clients in their jurisdiction.
For example: Any financial services advertiser targeting Australia will generally need an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) from ASIC.
Any financial services advertiser targeting Singapore will generally need to be licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Penalties for unlicensed provision of financial services or breaching the terms of a licence can be very severe, including fines and prison sentences.
Audience
There are broadly three types of investors:
Retail – most investors are ‘retail’: non-professional investors who do not meet the criteria for wholesale. Popular products for retail investors include shares, ETFs, pensions, savings and property.
Wholesale – investors who meet criteria set by the regulator in their jurisdiction can have access to more investments, which may be more risky. In Australia these investors are referred to as “Sophisticated” (a gross income of AUD $250,000 or more per year in each of the previous two years, or net assets of at least AUD $2.5 million) and in Singapore as “Accredited” (Minimum income of SGS $300,000 in the last 12 months (or its equivalent in a foreign currency); or net personal assets exceeding SGD $2 million, of which the net value of the primary place of residence can only contribute up to SGD $1 million; or net financial assets exceeding SGD $1 million (or its equivalent in a foreign currency); or hold a joint account with an Accredited Investor, in respect of dealings through that joint account.)
Institutional – professional investors generally investing on behalf of others
More
Made For Advertising websites (MFAs) – what are they?
What does a fraud investment advertisement look like?