Financial Services

posted 03/02/08 by Rick Webb

Financial Services. It’s an interesting area. Shares a lot of traits with B2B advertising, but is aimed at the more general consumer. We sort of borrow tactics from both worlds.
In the beginning, the Barbarian Group didn’t really chase segments or industries for the work we took. We kind of took the work that people needed us for. So through the years, we’ve sort of watched different industries wrestle with the need to increase the sophistication of their online marketing tactics. Industries arrive at this conclusion at different times. Automotive was first. Financial Services wasn’t far behind.
It’s an area we’re interested in, and we want to pursue more. Recently we’ve struck up an ongoing relationship with The Economist, which has re-exposed us to the trends in this industry. We’ve pitched some large financial services agencies as an assistant to larger agencies, and we came up with some really wonderful ideas we’d love to see come to fruition someday (our partner agency didn’t win, sadly).
Of the work we have done, our work with Goodby on the Discover Card stuff was really great. Innovative thinking about branded utilities, incentives, the consumer and their relationship to financial services. We liked it a lot. We miss it. We’re ready for more.

Here are some recent posts from our employees about Financial Services:

Yay Beta!

I was so excited to log into Mint today and realize that they granted my wish and added me to their beta test of the new Financial Fitness tool. This is the first beta I have been involved with since I received one of the early invites to Gmail back in the old days. Boy do I feel special.
The new Fitness tab in the nav brings me to a page with a big progress tracking bar at the top. I am already 75% fit, so I feel pretty good but then I realize that a 75 is what a C? That is not acceptable, I need an A+. What do I need to do in order to reach 100%?
The list of qualifying tasks includes a few items in blue that I can take action on immediately:
  • Get Health Insurance +1000 points – Done
  • Make a Retirment Contribution +1000 points – Done
  • See Where you Spent Last Month +100 points
    -This took me to the trend tab with the interactive pie chart. I took a poke around and got depressed when I saw how big the pie piece was for taxes in April. Clicked back over to the Fitness tab and it still didn’t show that I had completed this task. I did this a few more times, and clicked into other pieces of the pie but still no change. Not really clear what I need to do in order to accomplish this task. Hopefully Mint will fix this part of the tool.
  • Review Your Credit Report + 500
    -I am not going to do this now. But it is a good reminder as it has been about 6 months since I last checked.
After checking off a few of the tasks I ended up 91% fit. There are many tasks that are pending as it depends on what I do throughout the month like saving money, spending less than I earn and avoiding bank fees. I will keep working on this over the month in order to reach my goal of being fully financially fit. I wonder what I get at the end of the month if I achieve this goal, an extra 100 bucks in my savings account? Can you grant that wish too Mint?

Mint+Foursquare = Awesome

Apparently Mint is adding a gaming element to their site which allows you to track your finances. The basic idea, as laid out by TechCrunch, is that you earn points for following the five principles of financial fitness and overtime are awarded with badges. It is like Foursquare for finance. The articles I read had mixed reviews about whether this feature was good idea or not. Well I love it and hope that I can be a part of their beta testing panel. Are you listening Mint?

Article: 7 Financial Mistakes Designers Make

My new article from my Business of Design column in Dynamic Graphics Magazine is now live on their website. For this article I interviewed many folks around the design and financial industries through the awesome HARO service (which btw, I would highly recommend to anyone needing a quote for their articles). Here’s what it is all about:
Financial responsibility has plagued creatives throughout the history of the world. In art history courses, we learn about famous artists who died penniless and in mental despair. It’s no coincidence these two spheres—creativity and money—are constantly at odds for many graphic designers, especially in these uncertain economic times.

What are the signs a designer isn’t managing his financial future correctly, and what’s the remedy? For this issue, we presented the question to certified financial planners and certified public accountants across the United States. We found a wide array of answers, but the following were mentioned repeatedly…
View the full article at 7 Financial Mistakes Designers Make.

2009 New Year's Revolutions

1. Track finances on mint.com
2. Optimize email workflow
3. Learn soulja boy dance
4. Bring lunch (most likely a direct result of mint.com tracking)
5. Visit at least 1 new country