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 fintech startups 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. The process always includes customized, personally-facilitated, 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, awareness, drivers and barriers
- 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.