Financial Services Ranks in Bottom 30% of Industries Studied in MBLM’s Brand Intimacy 2022 Study

USAA Tops Industry, Followed by Standard Chartered and PayPal 

NEW YORK, September 7, 2022 – Financial services ranks 14th out of 19 industries studied in MBLM’s Brand Intimacy 2022 Study, the largest study of brands based on emotions, now in its 12th year. The enhanced 2022 study combines MBLM’s proven Brand Intimacy model with the power of AI and big data to analyze over 600 brands, assessing how consumers bond with the brands they use and love. USAA tops the industry, followed by Standard Chartered and PayPal. MBLM found that the top keyword for USAA was “Service.” Standard Charter’s top keyword was “Reliable” and PayPal’s was “Efficient.” 

The remaining brands in the top 10 for financial services are: Mastercard, Robinhood, Visa, Citi, HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Chase. Consistent with previous years, MBLM also found that top intimate brands outperformed Fortune 500 top brands across profit, revenue, and stock performance. 

“Financial services ranks six industries below newcomer crypto in this year’s study, revealing that the industry overall lacks in building emotional connections with customers the way crypto does,” stated Mario Natarelli, managing partner at MBLM. “We believe that the two industries will become more intertwined; however, financial services needs to evolve, focusing more on building trust and valued relationships, or risk falling further in our study.” 

Financial services has an average Brand Intimacy Quotient score of 32.1, which is below the cross-industry average of 36.8. Enhancement, which is related to becoming smarter, more capable, and more connected through the use of the brand, is the dominant archetype for financial services. 

MBLM also released an article analyzing the industry, “Can Financial Services Overcome the Trust Gap? Comparing the top performing financial services brands.” The agency examined the top-ranked brand, USAA, the top intimate bank, Standard Chartered, and the top credit card, Mastercard. Overall, MBLM concludes that the industry tends to have a negative reputation due to scams and scandals and because it tends to provide a transactional, impersonal service. Brands need to go above and beyond to reassure customers. And as crypto and digital assets develop further, financial institutions need to expand the ways in which they build trust and help customers.

The Brand Intimacy 2022 Study contains the most comprehensive rankings of brands based on emotion. The scale of the study included more than 600 brands and more than 1.4 billion words analyzed over 2021. 

 To download the Brand Intimacy 2022 Study or explore the rankings click here. 

Methodology 

To read the study methodology, click here. 

About MBLM 

MBLM invented Brand Intimacy, the emotional science behind the brands we use and love. For our clients, we deliver expertise and value through our agency insights, services, and software offerings. 

With offices in five countries, our multidisciplinary teams invent, transform, and enhance brands for businesses of every kind. We deliver marketing that creates stronger emotional connections with stakeholders. These bonds create better performance and long-term returns. To learn more about how we can help you create and sustain ultimate brand relationships, visit mblm.com.