Shifting interest rates and economic uncertainty have created a highly competitive financial landscape. Banks, investment firms, and fintech companies flooded the TV airwaves in 2025 to drive consumer action, as the economy remains top of mind, from credit card promotions to pitches for next-generation investment platforms.
Through EDO's proprietary TV outcomes measurement, which tracks how consumers engage with brands online in the minutes after ads air, we analyzed every financial services ad that ran on national TV from January through August 2025 to see which strategies are winning the year so far.
Financial services brands ramp TV spending
In 2025, financial services advertisers made their biggest TV investment push in years, with ad volume up 11% year-over-year.
This increase in media investment came with a slight dip in the sector’s average ad effectiveness, which compares performance to the average cross-category TV ad. Brands in the Financial Services category of EDO generated 4% lower per-person, per-second engagement compared to the average ad across TV, but top-performing brands are doing better than ever.
Coinbase, Intuit, KPMG lead the way entering Q4
While the crypto bubble may have popped, Coinbase bucked the trend. The advertiser was the most effective in the category this year to date, with ads that were 337% more effective than the average Financial Services ad this year.
Credit Services brands took three of the top 10 spots in our Financial Services ad effectiveness rankings, with strong showings from Intuit, Credit Karma, and Experian. KPMG and H&R Block led in the Tax Services category, outperforming the average Financial Services ad by 280% and 201%, respectively.
Student loans and celebs break through the noise
Credible's notched the category’s top-performing ad with a spot that was8,435% more effective than the average Financial Services creative. Framed as a simple, animated explainer of its student loan refinancing services, the ad’s success reflects the value of clarity and personalization, as well as the surge in consumer interest given recent changes to student loan rules under the Trump administration.
Another student loan provider, Yrefy, took third place with its “Start with the Facts” spot about refinancing, presented by the late Charlie Kirk as brand ambassador.
Several other top-performing brands found success with new celebrity endorsements. Public.com featured actor Timothy Olyphant as part of its “Investing Seriously” campaign, driving 436% stronger per-person, per-second engagement than the category’s average creative.
Meanwhile, Wells Fargo turned to Martin Short and Steve Martin for its new Active Cash Card promotion, featuring the comedic pair bickering at a “Book Store” checkout, and driving 49% stronger performance than the category’s average creative.
These celebrity endorsements have remarkable staying power, often driving high engagement well over a year (or longer) after the first airing. Morgan Stanley’s “Boundary” spot, featuring Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez and the Women’s Tennis Association, outperformed the benchmark by 310% in 2025, while Capital One continued to drive engagement well into the new year with its “Holiday Night Fever” spot featuring a Santa-fied John Travolta.
Where smart money meets smart media investment
While the financial sector's increase in ad volume demonstrates confidence in TV’s engagement power, the gap between top and bottom performers is widening. This creates an opportunity for data-driven creative and media strategies to deliver outsized competitive advantages.
While brands solving immediate consumer pain points — such as tax preparation and loan refinancing — consistently outperform, other financial advertisers can find success with proven tactics like celebrity endorsements. With the right combination of relevant messaging, strategic media buying, and audience targeting, the sector can reach new heights of profitability in 2026.
Ready to optimize your financial services TV strategy? Contact us to learn how investment-grade outcomes measurement can help maximize every ad dollar.