Sun Trust's "Live Solid" Is a Solid Winner

I'm often asked for an example of a financial company who does a good job of marketing to women.  So here's an example for you - the "Live Solid" campaign from Sun Trust.

While "Live Solid" is not specifically aimed at women, it does a great job of focusing on what women care about. 

Why Live Solid works for women

Sun Trust and their ad agency based the campaign on a core value that many women share when it comes to money - a focus on spending money wisely vs. simply accumulating money.

SunTrust says it conducted months of consumer research prior to developing creative components. Among the findings:

• Nearly 80% of those surveyed would rather be envied for spending wisely than for spending freely.
• 83% believe it’s not about how much money you have, it’s about what you do with the money that you already have.
• Eight in 10 believe that while having more money won’t necessarily make you happier, feeling in control of the money you have will increase happiness.

All of these points are in-line with the research I've done on women and finances, especially the last one.  Women want to feel more in control of their finances.  But the beauty of this campaign is that it works for both men and women.

The Live Solid website

The Live Solid home page gives you choices of popular content to click on right in the active window complete with text and images.  Very female friendly.

 
 

The top navigation choices work well for women since they focus on what women care about, and the sub navigation choices hit on many of women's biggest questions.

 

Visitors answer the question, "I'm thinking about"  with choices of

• My well being
• My money
• My relationships
• My retirement
• My future plans
• My children 

Rather than traditional categories like "Life Insurance" and "Retirement calculator," The categories revolve around issues that are on her mind. Sub categories include choices like:

• Getting out of debt
• Teaching kids about money
• Planning for life's surprises

Great job of focusing in on what women care about.

Live Solid educational videos

The other thing  I love about the website is their use of short educational video clips, like this one - 5 Things To Know About IRA's.

They cover the basics in clear, easy-to understand language that both women and men will appreciate.

The videos feature both male and female experts.

 
And as an added touch that will appeal especially to women, they feature images of writing in a notebook. 

 
 

Including a more "low-tech" notebook and lined paper adds a sense of familiarity.   And women especially can't resist handwriting and more informal fonts.

Only one suggestion for improvement

 
I do have one suggestion for Sun Trust.  Word  choice is so important, especially when you market to women.  One video on financial planning talks about things people want to spend their money on.  One of those things is "an extravagant weekend at a resort."  Be careful.  Women don't like language that sounds "judging"    I would change "extravagant" to "rejuvenating".  Now you've taken it from a negative to a positive.  

But overall, I give "Live Solid" and A in marketing to financial services to women.   

Comments

[Seth Clementi]

Thinking about retirement actually helps us save our money for our current circumstances, too. Perhaps people just don't get the idea of reaping their rewards AFTER all the hard work has been invested. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Save your money now, and you're practically saving yourself in the future.