How Wealthfront Makes Interest Rates More Interesting

In the sea of digital ads we scroll past daily, it’s rare to find ones that catch the eye. Even rarer are ads that teach us something. Recently, Wealthfront’s Google Discovery and Instagram ads caught my attention. It made me pause and appreciate the art of effective communication in advertising.

Welthfront’s Ad

The ad that caught my attention was for Wealthfront’s Cash Account, showcasing its enticing interest rate of 5.00% to 5.5% APY. The focal point of the ad isn’t just the numbers but what they could translate into – something tangible like an espresso machine, representing the purchasing power of the interest earned from a given investment.

What Stood Out?

• Consistent Branding: Wealthfront’s consistent visual and messaging theme made it easy to recognize the brand quickly.
• Effective Use of Frequency: As someone who was not initially familiar with the product, repeated exposure was necessary for me to take note of and remember the service offered by Wealthfront.
• Making Numbers Real: In a market where banks are vying for attention, Wealthfront differentiates itself by personalizing a benefit.

Why This Matters

As I discussed in a previous post, “Making Numbers Count,” one effective way to communicate statistics is by painting a picture with numbers. Wealthfront does this brilliantly. An interest rate of 5% is good, but showing that this rate can buy an espresso machine makes it resonate on a personal level.

Over to You

What do you think of Wealthfront’s approach in this campaign? Does this visual and practical portrayal of interest rates work? Does it make you consider how you could better utilize your own savings? Personally, I’m always on the lookout for savvy ways to enhance my ‘shoe money’. This ad definitely motivated me to look at my own savings rate.

A special note for this post: The ads in this post are screengrabs that appeared on my social media and news feed. Current rates offered by Wealthfront may be different.

Let’s discuss below—your thoughts could help us all think differently about our finances!