Consumers Are Suffering Marketing Fatigue. How to Earn Back Their Attention
By Corey Wrinn, Managing Director of Rivel Banking Research
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Executive Summary
- Despite burgeoning marketing budgets, brand awareness among banks and credit unions is ticking steadily downwards.
- Bombarded by generic product-centric messaging, many consumers are simply tuning out marketing from banking brands.
- To cut through the noise and fatigue, financial institutions need to lean into targeted marketing in local channels and community engagement.
If you’re a CMO at a bank today, you’re likely facing a paradox: Marketing spending is expanding while brand visibility continues to shrink. Consumers have become increasingly sophisticated at filtering out noise, skipping advertisements and actively seeking ad-free experiences. Even overall brand recall is suffering.
According to the Rivel Retail Banking Benchmark, across the United States and relying on 210,000 interviews, the average bank or credit union’s brand awareness has fallen from 34% in 2024 Q1 to 33% in 2024 Q3, to a recent low of 31% in 2025 Q3.
Our latest supplemental research on digital fatigue, conducted exclusively by Rivel Banking Research in June 2025, reveals a critical truth: The traditional digital marketing playbook may be rapidly losing its effectiveness.
The Attention Economy Is Fracturing
Across the United States, consumers are overwhelmed by non-stop messaging, although not every industry is on equal footing. Sixty-two percent of consumers said they see food and beverage advertisements daily. Moreover, this category leads the pack in terms of effectiveness and memorability at 30%. Of course! Tying food brands to the excitement of one’s experiences with family and friends, along with the constant innovation in offerings on shelves, is an enticing way to grab a person’s attention.
Banks and credit unions have the reverse problem, however: Only 8% of consumers report remembering or seeing recent financial services ads. What’s wrong then with financial ads?
- 51% – Too frequent
- 37% – Irrelevant to me
- 28% – Lack personalization
- 26% – Intrusive timing
- 17% – Complex messaging (jargon)
While Millennials encounter the highest volume of advertisements, Gen Z and Gen X report the most significant levels of fatigue. They’re not merely ignoring campaigns, they’re actively avoiding them. There is a 7.5% year-over-year increase in ad-free streaming subscriptions right now, and it sends a clear message: Consumers are willing to pay to escape marketing bombardment.
Where do you most frequently see financial advertisements?
- 69% – Social media
- 66% – TV/streaming platforms
- 51% – Email
- 39% – Web search platforms
- 27% – Direct mail
- 18% – Billboards
- 17% – Articles or affiliate marketing
- 13% – Text messages
The top three channels where consumers notice financial ads — social media, TV/streaming and marketing emails — are consistent across all age groups. But that consistency comes at a cost: sameness. When consumers do notice these ads, they often describe them as irrelevant, impersonal or just plain forgettable. This isn’t just a creative issue; it’s a strategic opportunity to stand out from the crowd and drive in new business.
Our brand perception data consistently shows that many banks are still relying on one-size-fits-all messaging. But what resonates with a Boomer in rural Connecticut probably won’t land with a Gen Z consumer in urban Phoenix. In fact, only 65% of Gen Z respondents in our research said their bank, despite already having their data, effectively markets products and services that meet their needs.
Here’s what to consider: Are you aligning your messaging with age-appropriate life events? Are you promoting products that not only support your institution’s goals but also solve real problems for your customers?
Authenticity and Local Presence is Driving Success
The most effective marketing today isn’t about the same message everywhere — it’s about amplifying humanity. Campaigns featuring authentic customer stories, demonstrating genuine community involvement, or incorporating appropriate humor consistently outperform generic product-focused messaging, according to our feedback data.
Outside of direct advertisements from financial institutions, where would you rather discover more about financial options and their services?
- 42% – From content creators I watch and trust
- 37% – At a professional networking event
- 18% – At local sporting events
- 16% – At a local farmer’s market
- 11% – At eateries
- 10% – At school events
Don’t underestimate the power of showing up locally. Sponsoring community events, partnering with local influencers or hosting networking nights and financial wellness workshops can build trust and visibility in ways that another round of programmatic ads simply can’t.
When your own bankers and customers are out in the community sharing their experiences, organically and hopefully enthusiastically, that’s marketing gold. Authentic testimonials, credible reviews and genuine word-of-mouth carry far more weight than static banner ads ever will.
Exploring these alternative channels, especially when backed by a strong dataset of customer sentiment and testimonials, can be more effective than traditional advertising alone. It’s not about abandoning digital altogether, it’s about complementing it with messaging that feels personal, local and real.
A Strategic Path Forward
To thrive in this evolving environment, CMOs must shift from interruption-based marketing to integration-focused strategies. This requires:
- Leveraging brand perception data to understand how your bank is viewed in each market and how that perception compares to local competitors
- Implementing robust segmentation strategies by generation and geography to ensure messaging remains relevant and resonant across diverse audiences
- Prioritizing customer advocacy by empowering satisfied clients to become authentic brand ambassadors
- Deepening community engagement to build genuine trust and visibility within the communities you serve
In a world where attention has become the most valuable currency, successful banks will be those that stop chasing fleeting impressions and start strategically earning them in the right physical and digital locations.
As a reminder, monitoring your institution’s brand and reputation is crucial for staying visible to potential customers, even with a different channel strategy. Partnering with a trusted firm to measure and interpret brand perception can complement your growth strategies, ensuring a balanced approach to both brand management and tailored approaches like this.
Brand awareness against your local competition is essential, even when doing everything else well. Consumers only bank with those that they know, even more so when partnering with creators and groups that they already trust.
