Credit Sesame had enjoyed organic growth as an early entrant to the educational credit/ personal finance comparison marketplace. The brand offers a clear functional benefit, but as the category and competition grew, Credit Sesame needed to more clearly define its positioning and value. Specifically:
- A flurry of marketplace “me too” brands
- One well-funded (20x), longer-established, and similarly-named competitor
- Other credit monitoring services and retail banks
- Other Personal Financial Management (PFM) offerings from companies like Mint.com, and financial advisors
Confusion and a swell of activity in the marketplace could put Credit Sesame into a commodity category…or worse.
It was time to establish an authentic, differentiating and relevant brand purpose, elevating the brand to deliver a more emotional and rewarding benefit – one above and beyond the function of credit score tracking.
At the core of any strategy project is the spirit of collaboration with our clients – and that culminates in our customized, personally-facilitated in-person workshops. Preparation for the workshop is robust; for Credit Sesame, we gathered insights such as:
- Quantitive research among current and potential customers to understand engagement levels and awareness
- An internal listening tour
- A look at how key competitors were positioned
- A snapshot of the marketplace mindset, which we shared in the workshop as this montage video:
When external facts inform workshop participants, we extract true, real, and less subjective input into the brand strategy.
We delivered a concise and galvanizing positioning, voice, and messaging for Credit Sesame – an important underpinning as the company prepares for sustainable and growth in a rapidly changing and competitive environment. We were so happy to help!