How to empower Generation Alpha and build lifelong customers.

Written by Mark Brim

Key Takeaways

• Trust is the foundation of many banking relationships, and parents are often the main gatekeepers for young customers.
• Banks can tap into this by creating strategies that engage parents directly and offering joint accounts, gamification tools, and educational materials.
• Banks can collect data through customer surveys, transaction analysis, app usage, and customer support interactions to offer personalized services.
• Omnichannel engagement offers consistent and integrated experiences across multiple channels to enhance engagement with younger audiences.
• Subliminal messaging and marketing can be used to create memorable campaigns that resonate with Generation Alpha's values and interests.

A topic that's been getting a lot of buzz lately is the financial empowerment and curiosity of Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024). For example, recently my teenage daughter started a side hustle selling thrifted clothes online. She came to me for help opening her first bank account. Where do you think I steered my daughter? Probably to use the same financial institution I use for my own funds. What did it cost that bank in marketing resources to acquire this new customer? Almost nothing.

Young people often turn to trusted family members for financial guidance, but underage individuals typically must have parents or guardians supervise their accounts. This gateway is rich in opportunity for financial institutions willing to invest in the resources to nurture these high-return acquisitions.

Building trust through family connections

My experience with my daughter confirmed what many already know to be true—trust is the foundation of many banking relationships. For Generation Alpha, this often begins with their parents. Parents guide their children's early financial awareness and decisions as beginner-stage financial advisors. This makes them not only essential partners but also the main gatekeepers in acquiring young customers.

For instance, when setting up a bank account for a minor, parents or guardians are more than just signatories. They help their children understand the basics of banking, savings, and spending responsibly. This involvement builds trust and teaches young customers valuable financial skills they will use for life.

Banks can tap into this by creating strategies that engage parents directly, like:

• Joint accounts, where parents and kids share access.
• Gamification, where practical lessons can be learned in money management.
• Educational materials aimed at families to teach financial awareness, such as guides and interactive tools.
• Hosting workshops or webinars for parents and kids together can strengthen these bonds even further.

The focus for financial institutions is to encourage a supportive environment for young customers. This approach helps build trust and a great user experience from the start so that young people feel guided and understood from their first banking experience.

Collecting data for personalized services

While market research can be extended beyond adults, the act of acquiring a future customer, still in minor status, typically has to go through the parents. By employing your data effectively, the opportunities are abundant and easily accessible, like ripe fruit hanging low for the picking.

Customer surveys

• Conduct surveys asking about family size, ages of children, and household spending habits.
• Include questions on what features parents find most important in a bank account for kids/minors.

Transaction analysis

• Monitor transaction patterns to identify spending related to children's needs (e.g., toy stores, children's clothing, school supplies).
• Analyze household spending trends to understand budget allocations.

App usage data

• Track app interactions to see which features parents use most frequently, such as budgeting tools or educational content.
• Monitor engagement with family-oriented services and content.

Customer support interactions

• Record and analyze interactions with customer support for insights on common family-related inquiries.
• Identify recurring themes and issues raised by parents.

Omnichannel engagement strategies

Omnichannel engagement, catering to Generation Alpha traits of being highly technologically advanced, offers a unified and integrated experience across multiple channels, enhancing engagement with younger, tech-savvy audiences. Whether through a mobile app, social media, or in person, their experience is seamless and cohesive.

Here is how the implementation could be put into play:

• Develop a user-friendly app: Banks like Sallie Mae (who offers the “SmartyPig” account) and Ally have created apps that use gamification to make saving more approachable and fun for teens. Features like “saving buckets” help users categorize and track their savings goals.
• Consistency across channels: The messaging, services, and support are consistent across all of these platforms. This means the information available on your app should match what's provided in person or on social media.
• Engage through interactive content: Use social media to post educational and engaging content that resonates with young audiences. Interactive posts, app updates, new features, savings challenges, and polls can make the banking experience more engaging.

Subliminal messaging and marketing

Some of the best messages for any age group have been the ones that stuck with you and became your go-to memory whenever a topic was brought up. Over the years, even the most stale of industries (such as insurance) have garnered space in our subconscious due to witty and memorable commercial advertising.

Financial institutions can create impactful campaigns by employing similar strategies. Take, for example, the line “Wells Fargo where I'm banking.” This is an actual line featured in a hit song with over 98 million listens on Spotify alone. This subtle mention serves as a form of subliminal advertising. Wells Fargo's mention in popular music reaches listeners organically, embedding the brand in their subconscious without feeling like a traditional ad.

Creating relatable and aspirational ad content

Banks need to understand Generation Alpha characteristics, values, and aspirations (or, in this case, their music preferences). This involves knowing their interests, lifestyle, and the influencers they follow. However, the challenge lies in the sheer volume of data, with many of these markers constantly evolving.

Future operations and service adjustments

To meet the expectations of Generation Alpha, banks and their marketing teams must work in partnership to evolve services through technological integration and innovative solutions. This generation is growing up in a digital world, and their banking needs reflect this shift.

• Trends in banking services: Current trends indicate a move toward more digital and automated solutions to provide a truly frictionless banking experience.
• Digital wallets: These provide streamlining and convenience for young users to manage their finances.
• AI-driven services: The days of calling a service representative are ending. Instead, large language models (LLMs) trained to assist with a wide range of inquiries are taking over, using vast data sets to provide quick and accurate responses.

Continuous innovation is essential. Banks must regularly update their services based on user experience and preferences. Marketing teams should highlight the bank's commitment to listening and adapting to young customers' needs, ensuring services stay relevant and engaging.

By working together, banks and marketing teams can create a seamless and appealing banking experience for Generation Alpha, positioning themselves as leaders in the digital financial landscape.

About Mark Brim

As General Manager/Global SVP of Aquent's Services industry group, Mark is responsible for the overall strategy and business growth of this key division of Aquent—helping clients solve some of their most complex project and staffing challenges by providing a suite of solutions. His career spans over 23 years as a collaborative, creative, and analytical business leader within diverse industries across North America. As former President of Vitamin T, an Aquent brand, Mark helped to solidify relationships with key clients leading the company to record growth. He believes that strong engagement with people, along with the use of data, cultivates better service offerings and builds stronger teams. Mark has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology and Engineering from Langston University in Oklahoma.

This post originally appeared on our Aquent Talent blog.