Younger consumers, in particular, are driving these shifts.
"Fifty-three percent of Gen Zs and Millennials wish their financial institution offered a more personalized banking experience (vs. 35% of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers). And 44% of these cohorts confessed to having used social media in the past three months for financial advice (vs. 18%)," Allison Cerra, chief marketing officer at Alkami, a digital banking solutions company, tells The Financial Brand.
This data highlights how banks need to expand their digital presence beyond marketing. Banks that fail to adapt to these changes risk missing key engagement opportunities, especially as younger consumers continue to turn to video and social-driven content for financial insights.
AI’s Role in Digital Marketing Strategies
Artificial intelligence is becoming a core driver of banking ad strategies, moving away from one-size-fits-all messaging and toward dynamic, automated, and more personalized experiences. AI-powered automation transforms everything from audience segmentation and predictive modeling to real-time ad optimization and compliance monitoring.
"AI transforms campaign creation by dynamically generating native ad variations based on customer insights, automating audience selection, and refining messaging in real-time," Cornelia Reitinger, head of advertising business development at SAS, a data and AI solutions provider, tells The Financial Brand.
Banks increasingly rely on AI to enhance targeting and personalization, ensuring ads reach the right consumers at the right time with the right message. Nicholas notes that AI helps banks automate campaign management, allowing them to adjust bidding strategies, optimize content, and dynamically adjust campaigns in real-time.
Learn more
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- Rise of ‘Commerce Media’ in Banking Offers Revenue… and Challenges
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Beyond improving efficiency, AI can also improve compliance strategies, ensuring marketing teams can scale campaigns without increasing manual oversight. Nicky Senyard, CEO at Fintel Connect, a fintech partner marketing solution, emphasizes that "AI-powered tools can automate content monitoring, detecting regulatory issues in real-time, and streamlining compliance workflows."
Cerra points out that consumers are already experiencing AI-driven changes in banking—and expectations are rising. "More than 60% of digital banking customers believe that, in five years, AI will have dramatically changed how they do business with their financial institution. Older Millennials are statistically more likely to say AI will have the biggest and most immediate impact on their banking experience. Half of older Millennials are comfortable with their financial institution using AI if it results in a better banking experience."
First-Party Data and Bank-Owned Media Networks
As privacy regulations tighten, banks are shifting their focus to first-party data strategies to improve ad targeting and create new revenue opportunities.
"Financial services have always put security and privacy first. Combined with high-quality first-party data from their retail clients, banks offer a uniquely brand-safe environment for advertisers. This is driving a major shift in digital ad spending towards banking-owned media networks, where brands can reach verified audiences within trusted and safe financial platforms," says Reitinger.
Banks are activating their customer data instead of relying on third-party data sources to deliver more precise, high-performing campaigns. This shift helps financial institutions improve their return on ad spend (ROAS). "Banks are no longer just financial institutions but are evolving into trusted digital monetization platforms, reshaping their role in the digital advertising industry," Reitinger says.
Senyard also emphasizes the growing importance of long-term data tracking. Historically, banks measured success based on account openings, but today, they’re looking at lifetime customer value, deposit growth over time, and engagement metrics to help guide ad investments.
"The biggest shift has been in digital transparency. We can be more targeted in linking vintage data with origination. And the more our systems link front to back, the better we can spend," says Senyard. "These vintages offer invaluable data on channels, as well as the channel strategies, messaging, and campaigns that drive the highest ROI over time."
With banks controlling more of their own data and monetizing their platforms, first-party data is foundational to high-performing digital advertising strategies moving forward.
What Banks Must Get Right in 2025
Bank marketers face a challenge: adapting to shifting consumer behaviors, effectively leveraging AI, and making the most of first-party data. Nicholas, Cerra, Reitinger, and Senyard highlight key strategies that separate high-performing financial institutions from those falling behind.
What banks should prioritize:
- Use first-party data for smarter targeting. Banks should activate their customer data instead of relying on third-party cookies to improve advertising performance.
- Invest in AI-powered automation and optimization. AI can help refine creative elements, adjust bidding strategies, and dynamically shift spend to maximize conversions.
- Make video a core strategy. Consumers expect banks to provide financial literacy content in engaging and accessible formats.
- Test emerging platforms early and often. Banks that delay investing in new channels risk missing first-mover advantages and facing higher ad costs later.
