E*TRADE leveraged its iconic infant character to update its message to drive reconsideration for its "emerging affluent" target, culminating in its "Picklebabies" campaign. The integrated campaign leveraged the brand's Pickleball Slam Tournament sponsorship to create buzz for its Super Bowl ad. Post Super Bowl, the brand leveraged a digital campaign to continue the momentum and compel prospective clients to open an E*TRADE account.
Drive Positive Buzz for E*TRADE
It's difficult to stand out among celebrities and brand activations on the year's largest stage — the Super Bowl. E*TRADE wanted to break through the noise and create a campaign with a culturally relevant theme that would ultimately drive positive earned media and spark social conversation. The brand measured this by tracking impressions, reach, and earned media mentions.
Drive Conversion for E*TRADE
Post-Super Bowl, E*TRADE leveraged its momentum by doubling down with "Money Monday" — a series of digital spots that drove conversion, tapped into cultural moments and trends, and made it easy for viewers to get in the game themselves by opening E*TRADE accounts. The brand measured this by tracking the number of gross new accounts opened following the campaign.
While E*TRADE earned its stripes by democratizing self-directed trading, but such capabilities became table stakes across the industry. It was important to look long-term and empower audiences to see E*TRADE as a capable investing partner they could use for their long-term financial futures.
The E*TRADE Baby has delighted Super Bowl audiences for over a decade, but this year the brand updated his message to drive reconsideration of the brand's long-term role for consumers, while capturing cultural buzz and audiences' hearts along the way.
Piggy backing off the momentum from launch, E*TRADE's secondary goal was more tangible — drive conversion in the form of opened and funded accounts. Thus, the brand quickly followed up on its new "Get in the Game" ambition with a digital-first activation to sustain interest and spark engagement with consumers post Super Bowl.
While some sit on the sidelines and hope for the best, E*TRADE's core audience, "emerging affluents," takes charge of their financial success. They're not control freaks, they just enjoy being involved in planning their futures.
As these millennial-aged consumers start to face key financial decisions (e.g., getting married and buying a home), it's important to remind them that E*TRADE is the best partner to help them prepare for whatever is next in life.
E*TRADE premiered its Get in the Game message via a campaign teaser video that premiered on broadcast during the 2024 ESPN Pickleball Slam the week before the Super Bowl. From there, it continued running across media platforms it knew its emerging affluents spent time on — TikTok, Meta, ESPN+, CNN, and WSJ.com.
The full commercial then premiered during NBC's Today Show while the brand increased funding for search and retargeting tactics to maximize the broadcast's halo impact. After airing during the most-viewed Super Bowl ever, Picklebabies was touted as the New York Times "Best of the Bunch" and AdWeek's No. 9 "Best Super Bowl Ad."
The next day, Money Monday engaged the target audience on social, online video (OLV), and digital, punctuated with an attention-grabbing full-page ad in the New York Times, all enticing the audience to open an E*TRADE account with a limited-time offer which drove record-breaking site traffic and business-driving results.
E*TRADE's three-phased media approach strategically leveraged media before, during and after the game, diversifying content across digital and social to sustain audience interest and engagement throughout the campaign.
Pre-game
The broadcast premiere of the Get in the Game teaser message during the 2024 ESPN Pickleball slam was followed by digital and social brand integrations that kept E*TRADE top of mind ahead of the big game. From there, the teaser ran where the brand knew its emerging affluent audience would be — TikTok, Meta, ESPN+, and more.
Game Day
Following the premier during NBC's Today Show, E*TRADE ramped up search and retargeting efforts to maximize the broadcast's impact. The brand also targeted its audience with high-reach social-first videos featuring the E*TRADE Baby to further the campaign message, spark social conversation, and encourage consideration.
Post Game Money Monday
Money Monday offered a rich media plan that spanned OLV, banners, and social that built upon the campaign's momentum by reinforcing the Get in the Game message with a bonus offer for new accounts. This digital first activation made it easy for viewers to get in the game themselves by opening E*TRADE accounts.
E*TRADE's strategic use of digital and social media allowed the brand to provoke consumers to take control of their financial futures. The brand packaged its message about taking control of your financial future into content that was native and felt seamless according to the natural behaviors and/or content in that channel.
In each activation, E*TRADE's creative idea and brand message was able to shine in a new way that was not only entertaining but relevant to the lives of its audience. As a presenting sponsor of The Pickleball Slam tournament, the brand secured prominent brand placement making it the perfect stage to kick off its campaign in a contextually relevant way.
On TikTok, E*TRADE aligned with premium video content around the NFL. A mix of high impact takeovers and social placements allowed the brand to supercharge its Get in the Game message and extend its presence well beyond game day.
E*TRADE's digital strategy helped target different factions of its audience across several platforms, enabling the brand to entertain them in new ways each time.
Overall, E*TRADE was able to drive relevancy and consideration through its use of digital channels and context. Through a deep understanding of its audiences' media behaviors and attitudes, the brand differentiated its messaging across a robust media plan that gave its audience the opportunity to interact with the brand across multiple touch points, ultimately leading them down the funnel.
Following a boom in interest in investing during the pandemic, the financial services category started to normalize and return to pre-pandemic levels of consumer interest and engagement.
Recession fears, increased market volatility, and increased cost of living have kept investors across the board increasingly cautious about their finances. While some choose to sit on the sidelines with this trepidation, there is a large group who prefer to take control of their financial success into their own hands.
E*TRADE's campaign saw the following results:
Drove Positive Buzz for E*TRADE
Drove Conversions for E*TRADE
The campaign transcended the scope of a conventional integrated campaign, effectively guiding consumers through the conversion funnel, leveraging various touchpoints to transition them from heightened brand awareness to engagement with E*TRADE's website, culminating in the opening of new accounts.
The creative concepts successfully captivated Super Bowl viewers nationwide, facilitating the delivery of the brand's message to potential clients at various financial stages.
The relatable yet flexible creative concept behind this campaign allowed E*TRADE to seamlessly integrate its message across multiple high-interest touchpoints, successfully yielding tangible business outcomes and establishing a solid groundwork for future E*TRADE campaigns to reinforce the same message.
