Last week as I was perusing a financial website, a banner ad for
Fidelity Investments popped up. It didn’t talk about mutual funds,
stocks or returns. It said,
“Give your future self a raise.”
In a sea of the so-so banner ads that I’m exposed to every day, this one
spoke to me.
They found a way to get into my noggin and make the delayed
gratification of saving sound much more enticing. It made me grin
to see this little ad reframe the mindset of resistant savers. It was
more than just a friendly invitation. It was a friendly challenge,
too.
Though banner ads take up little space on the screen, this one was
a powerful reminder that with a thoughtful concept, they can be
huge. In fact, from a copy standpoint, they are very similar to
billboards where the rule of thumb calls for no more than 5-7
words. There’s not a lot of room to say much. But what you say
should be spot on, if you want it clicked on.
By Amelia Ostroff, copywriter based in Seal Beach, CA.
