Bank marketing strategies beyond the app
How we save or spend money day-to-day is always on our minds. Whether that’s cutting back on overpriced coffees, saving for your first home, or simply making sure you don’t dip into your overdraft. People want to get the most out of their money.
Banks know this. Creating affinity with people is crucial: building trust and communicating their USP, whether that’s competitive interest rates or special offers. Ultimately, banks want to show their audience why they’re the go-to choice.
Why advertising for banks still needs the real world
While banking apps dominate daily spending habits, financial decisions don’t happen in isolation. Given that 70% of our waking time is spent out of home where a large proportion of spending decisions happen, outdoor advertising remains an essential channel for banks, not only to reach customers, but also to build trust:
- People are 14% more likely to trust a brand if it uses OOH advertising
- 49% say OOH is more trustworthy than social media
(Source: JCDecaux, The Moment for Trust)
For banks operating in a crowded and competitive market, this credibility gives OOH a distinct advantage over purely digital channels.
OOH, context and spending behaviour
One of the most powerful aspects of OOH advertising is its proximity to real-world spending behaviour. Unlike digital ads that compete for attention in cluttered feeds, OOH places financial messaging directly alongside everyday purchase moments – commuting, shopping, socialising, or travelling.
This contextual relevance strengthens bank marketing strategies by aligning brand messaging with live financial decision-making. Consumers make dozens of micro-decisions throughout the day: when to check their balance, which card to use, whether to save or spend. OOH becomes part of this journey, influencing behaviour without interrupting it.
Different environments naturally support different banking messages:
- Commuter locations reach people during planning moments, such as budgeting for the week ahead
- Retail and lifestyle environments reinforce value-driven messaging around spending, rewards, or savings
- Social environments connect brands with moments of active spending, where financial awareness is heightened
Reaching high-intent banking audiences with OOH
For banks looking to reach high-intent audiences, particularly banking app users, out-of-home advertising is a powerful format:
- 34% are more likely to scan a QR code on an OOH ad
- 38% are more likely to take a photo of an OOH ad
For audiences who are more financially aware than they used to be:
- 35% are more likely to purchase via mobile and discuss the OOH ad with friends
- 35% are more likely to share the OOH ad on social media
Those who trust their bank to look after their money:
- 13% more likely to discuss an OOH ad with peers.
(Source: TGI Insights)
This shows how OOH strengthens the link between physical environments and digital action – a crucial component of modern financial services marketing.
Word of mouth and financial decision making
Discussion of OOH ads is clearly prevalent across different groups of financially aware people and plays a strong role in encouraging word-of-mouth between peers.According to WPP’s How Humans Decide study, 48% of purchase decisions are influenced by word of mouth, making it the most powerful driver of choice.
OOH may be synonymous with driving spend, but for banks it plays a different role. It places brands at the point where spending decisions are already happening -influencing which bank people trust, open their app with, or talk about with friends.
Monzo and modern bank advertising strategies
Monzo is one of many banks that has got on board. They remain highly active in the OOH space, using bold, simple and engaging creative to target people at different stages of their financial and investment journeys, see an example below:
