NerdWallet Campaigns
2023 – 2024 Brand Equity Campaigns
From 2021–2023 NerdWallet achieved higher-than-ever brand recognition through the introduction of our SpokesNerds across our paid media. These on-camera Nerds represented the objective expertise that our in-house content team had been providing the business with since its inception.
In 2024, the business shifted its goal from getting consumers to know who NerdWallet is, to what NerdWallet does. In addition to this change in strategy, NerdWallet reduced its brand spend by approximately 30%. So our challenge became two-fold: How can we get consumers to understand that NerdWallet can help them make smarter decisions through objective reviews, ratings, and comparison tools while spending less than the previous year?
"Up In The Air" one of three spots from our 2023 campaign, starring Michelle, one of our talented SpokesNerds
"Future You" from 2024 shifted focus to how to make the smartest decision and future-proof your financials
I worked with content strategist Morgan Eidson and our cross-functional marketing partners to develop a variety of assets for performance marketing, social, and email that aligned with the larger messaging goals.
When our strategy shifted away from showing SpokesNerds in our above-the-line media, we knew through previous testing and optimization, that showing these Nerds in lower-funnel environments like social and performance marketing improved trust and conversion rates from our consumers.
We used animation to drive home key messaging and create dynamic text-based assets
Based on year-over-year testing, we saw strong performance when including our SpokesNerds on carousel assets
To better showcase how NerdWallet can help consumers, we developed a simplified UI that displayed comparison features
In addition to producing the down-funnel assets across these campaigns, we also developed a process to work with content creators. Through their real-life experiences and storytelling, they were able to show the benefit of using NerdWallet to make financial decisions. Over time, we created processes to create collaborative scripts, on-screen graphics, and overall visual treatments.
In our initial results at the start of 2024, we saw overall positive performance in sessions, impressions, and search thanks to our optimized creative and more strategic media plan.
Creators were able to add their own personality to their videos through transitions and sound effects
Through screen recordings and other UI elements, creators could show exactly how NerdWallet can help consumers
RESULTS (FIRST TWO WEEKS OF CAMPAIGN)
953,000 total sessions
We saw lifts in branded SEO and direct traffic
850,000+ branded search impressions
From strategic spending and adjustments to our media plan
11,750 brand mentions
Earned from influencers across 4–6 videos
NerdWallet Best of Awards 2022 Campaign
In 2021, I worked closely with Chloe Dalby, Justin Sanders, and Amy Wong on our Best of Awards 30-second TV spot that would run across OTT media like YoutubeTV and Hulu. We brainstormed individual scripts, bounced ideas off of one another, and eventually rallied as a team behind our final script.
This script married the nerdy methodology of NerdWallet’s annual “Best of” program with the ease and confidence that our audience is constantly looking for by showcasing the benefits of NerdWallet’s objective list. Although I couldn’t be a part of the shoot’s production (given COVID restrictions), it was amazing to see our ideas come to life.
In addition to the 30-second TV spot, I worked on a number of below-the-line assets for this campaign, including vertical-specific landing pages, paid and organic social assets, and CRM touchpoints.
Results
2.34 million sessions
Across all Best-of Awards landing pages
25% higher traffic
than our overall campaign goal
189 million+
Consumers and media reached with our press release
Still from one of our above-the-line Compare Your Way There 0:30 spots
Compare Your Way There 2022 Campaign
Compare Your Way There was a campaign that ran alongside the Best of Awards campaign in Q1 of 2022. My responsibilities included creating storyboards and collaborating with a freelance animator for paid social, developing tie-in campaigns for our CRM program, and developing any below-the-line assets that were needed across all digital surfaces.
