Most finance marketers know the frustration: You launch a well-designed campaign only to see poor engagement or disengagement. You followed the rules, stayed on message, and adhered to the brand guidelines. So why didn’t it land?
The answer often lies in the gap between insight and execution. Too much creativity without data leads to fluff, and too much data without creativity leads to noise. Bridging that gap is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. The bridge is data-led creativity.
“Finance marketing has long been stuck in a performance-versus-branding binary,” says Leye Makanjuola, CEO of Purple Stardust. “What we’re seeing now is a fusion, a way of telling human stories powered by real insight.”
The Problem with “Spray and Pray” Campaigns
Let’s start with the basics: most finance campaigns are still too broad. A single creative asset gets pushed across channels with the hope that someone, somewhere, will find it relevant. This often stems from risk aversion or legacy marketing practices that favour consistency over resonance.
However, consumers constantly send signals through their transactions, product usage, browsing behaviour, and financial milestones. Ignoring those signals leads to wasted ad spend and campaigns that fall flat.
What’s changing: Marketers are now designing campaigns around real behaviour. For example, they could target a user who just received a salary deposit with savings nudges or offer overdraft protection to customers who consistently dip below their balance threshold. It’s still creative; it starts with the data, not brainstorming.
When Personalization Feels Robotic
There’s a fine line between “personalized” and “creepy.” Too many finance brands rely on obvious data points like first name, location, or account type. The result? Messages that feel generic in a different font.
Customers don’t want to feel like they’re being watched; they want to feel understood. That kind of understanding doesn’t come from data alone. It comes from empathy.
Imagine using context like life stage or recent activity to tell a story. For a customer nearing retirement, it’s not enough to say, “Start saving.” It’s more compelling to say, “You’ve worked hard to build a legacy, here’s how to protect it.” The data gives you the moment; creativity gives you the message.
Compliance Doesn’t Have to Kill Ideas
In finance, every claim is scrutinized, and every ad must pass through the legal team. This often slows down the creative process or waters it down until there’s nothing left.
The truth is, compliance isn’t the enemy. Misalignment is. When creative and compliance teams work from different datasets or operate on different timelines, great ideas die in limbo.
The workaround? Use data to find what has worked. What formats, tones, or visuals consistently pass legal and still perform? Build creative guidelines around those learnings. Over time, this creates a sandbox where marketers can move fast and stay within bounds.
Siloed Data Slows Everything Down
Even with the right ideas, many finance teams struggle to execute. That’s because data lives in silos: CRM tools here, ad platforms there, and product analytics elsewhere. The result? Slow turnarounds, mismatched messaging, and missed opportunities.
Data-led creativity thrives on access. Brands that invest in connected systems, like customer data platforms (CDPs) or real-time dashboards, can test, iterate, and personalize at speed. Instead of building static campaigns, they’re creating modular content that updates based on triggers: income changes, spending patterns, or even interest rate shifts.
This isn’t just efficiency. It’s responsiveness. And in finance, timing is everything.
The Creative Shift: From Guesswork to Evidence-Based Storytelling
What we’re seeing now is less of a revolution and more of a redefinition. The best finance marketers today aren’t just copywriters or analysts. They’re pattern-seekers. They look at the data to find emotional openings, then craft messages that feel smart and human.
This approach doesn’t kill creativity; it sharpens it. It gives creatives real constraints, which often lead to better ideas. And it builds a culture where every brief starts with a question: What do we know about our audience, and how can we move them?
The Future Belongs to the Data led
You Can’t Afford to Choose Between Data and Creativity. Finance brands that treat data and creativity as separate departments are already falling behind.
The next wave of category leaders will be those who use data not to restrict creativity but to supercharge it. When creativity is informed, not confined, by data, it doesn’t just sell. It sticks.
Leye Makanjuola is a seasoned entrepreneur, strategist, and growth marketing leader best known as the Founder and CEO of Intense Group, a multidisciplinary agency that bridges creativity, technology, and performance marketing.
With over a decade of experience shaping digital transformation for leading brands across Africa and now the UK, Leye is at the forefront of helping businesses scale through data-driven storytelling and full-funnel marketing strategies. His agency brands—Intense Digital (growth marketing) and Purple Stardust (creative and content)—serve clients across financial services, FMCG, professional services, and tech.
Under his leadership, Intense Group has delivered measurable business results for clients across financial services, FMCG, tech, and professional services. With teams in Nigeria and the UK, the group is expanding its international presence, helping brands acquire, activate, retain, and grow revenue through insight-led marketing execution.
Leye is leading Intense Group’s global expansion, building cross-border marketing solutions that serve a diverse, digitally connected audience. He brings a unique perspective rooted in emerging markets, consumer behaviour, and cultural intelligence—qualities that make him a compelling voice in conversations around marketing innovation, entrepreneurship, and brand growth in the digital age.
Leye is available for commentary on:
● African and UK marketing trends
● Growth marketing and digital performance
● Brand-building in emerging markets
● The evolving role of AI in marketing and content
