First Citizens Bank:
A New Way Forward

First Citizens Bank (FCB) asked us to think differently about prospect/customer engagement, given the emerging housing boom in two of their main metro regions, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham. We tackled this by first defining engagement as an action that a consumer willingly participates in, creating a deeper connection and sense of trust between that person and FCB. We prioritized audiences and the touchpoints that matter and looked for initiatives that move more and more prospects down the funnel and build a relationship with FCB during this process.

After doing interviews to gain customer insight, we narrowed in on first time home buyers. It was important to reach those approaching a life milestone, not just any milestone – it’s the American dream. So much weighs on this single investment, both monetarily and emotionally. On the one hand, they’ve decided to put down a huge financial stake, and on the other hand, they’re taking a monumental step in their life to owning something they can call their own. What they’re striving to achieve versus what they have to do to get there are opposed. Owning a house is supposed to be an exciting thing, especially when they’ve gone through all the work of finding the right one. And yet, they have to endure this nightmare of a process to get it. The emotional turmoil – the confusion, the anxiety -- doesn’t have to be a given. And they shouldn’t have to figure it out on their own. How could we help them?

We landed on developing an Alexa skill focused on providing mortgage information. Thanks to the surge in new voice-recognition technology, people can ask their smart speaker questions and immediately get the information they’re looking for. We want to make our expert advice just as accessible. To do so, we’re going to record our wide range of FAQs, so people can say the word and get the financial answers right when they need them. Read more here on Amazon.com.

Role: Concepting, Copywriting, UX, Strategy