CHARLES SCHWAB. Switcher tools
Millions of American invest. But how do you choose the right broker? And how do you know when it’s time to move from one broker to another one?
That’s the question these tech tools sought to answer. The tools would sit in banners on relevant websites. Instead of messaging slogans to them, they would give them simple ways to compare brokers. Ask good questions about their investment goals. And provide the sort of practical assistance that real people need to make good choices.
In advertising terms, they were designed to drive customer acquisition. But they also worked in Branding terms too, As they built a perception of Charles Schwab as a thoughtful, quality organization, that was focused on good customer outcomes. Rather than simply maximizing revenue.
Our tools fell into four distinct categories:
STEP-BY-STEP TOOLS
People don’t make big decisions on the spot. So these tools provided different ways to guide people through shifting, in small steps to make people feel comfortable - and in control - all the way through the process.
SLIDESHOW
COMPARISON TOOLS.
These make it easier to compare Schwab to the broker you’re with right now. Whether by issue, or location, or key decisions, or ease of comprehension - or alignment with your preferred investing profile.
SLIDESHOW
Q&A TOOLS
These enabled people to ask Schwab key financial decisions right now. As though Schwab was already their broker. We don’t beg for the relationship. We get you within it already. So switching already starts happening. We even have a tool to prime you on questions you might not know to ask. Proving we’re the company you can trust to deliver fewer “unknown unknowns”.
SLIDESHOW
COMMUNITY TOOLS
These focus on the psychological fact that people feel safer acting - when they do so as part of a group. So we envision tools that create a “social momentum” to drive individual action.
COMMUNITY IDEAS
OUTCOMES
Several of these tools ended up being developed. The “Ask a Question” tool was the first to go live.