Banking and Financial Marketing Insights from Jim Marous
More than 70 percent of institutions rate branches as mission-critical, Jim Marous notes
More than 70 percent of financial institutions consider their branch networks to be mission-critical or very important to long-term growth, according to new research. Only a small minority of ...
Jim Marous: Early warning data helps banks support customers before missed payments
Early intervention can help banks and credit unions support customers before they miss payments, according to Jim Marous. Marous discusses practical approaches for financial institutions to ...
AI capital needs focus on practical uses over speculation, Jim Marous advises
Financial leaders should prioritize allocating capital for artificial intelligence projects that deliver high-impact operational results, rather than directing funds toward speculative ...
Jim Marous: Study finds financial marketing invests $250 million in content, $110 million in data
A new research report on the 2026 State of Financial Marketing finds that the industry is advancing its language more rapidly than its infrastructural systems. Jim Marous, publisher at The ...
Customer-facing employees may rely on incomplete information, Jim Marous notes
Many organizations have systems that track customer deposit trends, but the employees interacting directly with customers may not have access to the same information. Jim Marous, publisher at The ...
Jim Marous: AI projects in financial marketing require ongoing adaptation
AI implementation should not be viewed as a standard IT initiative with a clear end point, as the tools, algorithms, and capabilities are evolving rapidly, according to Jim Marous, publisher at ...
Deposit growth outranks relationship conversion among marketers, Jim Marous notes
A new Digital Banking Report from Vericast finds that 55% of marketers identify deposit growth as their top priority, whereas only 24% prioritize primary relationship conversion. Jim Marous, ...
Jim Marous: Few financial marketers confident in their marketing ROI or customer lifetime value
A recent observation from Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, highlights that only 9% of financial marketers are very confident in their return on marketing investment. According to ...
Smaller institutions lack real-time data capabilities, Jim Marous states
Jim Marous, Jim Marous, notes that while banks and credit unions possess some of the most valuable financial data, the primary challenge is not collecting this information but enabling smaller ...
Jim Marous: Over half of financial institutions in 2026 study have operational generative AI
More than half of financial institutions surveyed in the 2026 State of Financial Marketing research have generative AI already operational or at a more advanced stage. According to Jim Marous, ...
Financial institutions expanded digital banking roles, Jim Marous notes
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, discusses how financial institutions have historically viewed mobile apps and online portals as basic support tools for transactions. He references ...
Jim Marous: Personalization in 2026 research is mainly audience targeting
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, observes that in his 2026 State of Financial Marketing research, 67% of what is categorized as personalization involves selecting the audience that ...
Banks place hurdles on member perks, Jim Marous examines
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, discusses how banks and credit unions structure member perks. He argues that many institutions create significant barriers to entry for rewards ...
Jim Marous: Most financial institutions lag in hyper-personalization for marketing in 2026
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, highlights that hyper-personalization is a widely used term in financial marketing, but only around 1% of institutions are actually implementing it. ...
Fintechs build rapid financial relationships with younger consumers, Jim Marous notes
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, states that fintechs are successfully winning younger consumers not due to superior interest rates, but by eliminating friction in the user ...
Jim Marous: AI adoption in banking must address clear business needs
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, cautions that deploying artificial intelligence in banking solely to keep up with new technology trends rarely results in a positive return on ...
Retreating during economic stress poses dangers for banks, Jim Marous warns
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, discusses how financial institutions typically respond to economic uncertainty and heightened deposit competition by focusing on protecting their ...
Jim Marous: Over half of financial institutions use generative AI for marketing in 2026
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, reports that generative AI is operational or better in marketing for 52% of financial institutions, according to new research. Additionally, 44% of ...
Fintechs excel at predicting customer behavior, Jim Marous notes
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, emphasizes that the primary advantage fintech companies hold over traditional banking institutions lies in their predictive capabilities rather than ...
Jim Marous: Banks can drive targeted marketing even with imperfect customer data
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, highlights the challenge many financial institutions face when key marketing initiatives are postponed because of messy or incomplete customer data. ...
Many digital checking applications are abandoned at banks, Jim Marous notes
Jim Marous, publisher at The Financial Brand, compares the digital account opening process at many financial institutions to a "locked front door," despite having a welcome mat out. He points ...
