By Devon Kinkead

A decade-long study at a $10 billion financial institution reveals game-changing engagement rates that challenge everything we thought we knew about digital banking marketing.

Executive Summary

In an era where “banner blindness” is consuming precious digital real-estate unproductively, one financial technology stands out as a beacon of hope. Over the past decade (2015-2025), Micronotes Microinterviews have consistently delivered click-through rates averaging 2.3% – a remarkable 23 times better than traditional banner ads used in mobile and online banking applications.

This comprehensive analysis of 10 years of data from a $10 billion financial institution reveals not just superior performance, but a fundamental shift in how financial institutions can effectively engage their customers in the digital age.

The Banner Ad Problem

Previous pre-2015 Doubleclick data shows an average CTR of just 0.05% for all display formats, with current industry research showing banner ad click through rates have fallen to less than 0.1% and continue declining.

The historical context is sobering. Banner clickthrough rates were around 78% in 1994 and have fallen to 0.1% now. Research from MediaMind, which analyzed 21 billion impressions globally, found that online banners had an average of 0.10% click-through rates.

Even more concerning, as many as 60% of clicks on banner ads are accidental. Banner ad blindness is so severe that 92% of users don’t even notice banner ads when surfing the web.

For financial services specifically, the situation remains challenging. The North American average of 0.14% was slightly below the global average for standard banner ads according to Sizmek’s analysis of hundreds of billions of impressions.

The Micronotes Advantage: 10 Years of Consistent Excellence

Overall Performance Metrics

Our analysis of 123 months of data from June 2015 to June 2025 reveals remarkable consistency and performance:

• Total Unique Views: 8,459,570
• Total Unique Clicks: 1,578,265
• Overall Click-Through Rate: 2.3%
• Average Engagement Rate: 18.7% (Unique clicks/Total Unique Views)

These numbers represent more than just statistics – they represent a fundamental reimagining of customer engagement in financial services.

Year-by-Year Performance Analysis

The data reveals fascinating trends over the decade:

Peak Performance Era (2015-2016)

• 2015: 4.67% CTR with 401,331 unique visitors
• 2016: 3.76% CTR with 799,399 unique visitors

Maturation Period (2017-2020)

• Gradual normalization as user base expanded
• CTR range: 2.03% – 2.57%
• Visitor growth: 834,930 to 904,272

Digital Acceleration (2021-2022)

• 2021 maintained 2.06% CTR
• Over 1 million visitors annually achieved
• Sustained performance above 2% CTR

Modern Efficiency (2023-2025)

• CTR range: 1.16% – 2.12%
• Visitor base exceeding 1.2 million in 2023
• Maintained 23x advantage over banner ads

The Science Behind Superior Performance

Why Microinterviews Work Where Banner Ads Fail

1. Contextual Relevance Micronotes Microinterviews integrate seamlessly into the banking journey, appearing at moments when customers are most receptive to relevant financial guidance, for example when they make a large deposit.

2. Personalization at Scale Each Microinterview is tailored to the individual customer’s financial behavior, transaction patterns, and lifecycle stage – creating a sense of personal attention that generic banner ads simply cannot match.

3. Value-First Approach Rather than pushing products, Microinterviews lead with educational content and personalized insights, building trust before introducing relevant solutions.

4. Optimal Timing By leveraging real-time or near real-time banking data, Microinterviews appear when customers are actively engaged with their finances, significantly increasing the likelihood of meaningful interaction.

Industry Context: The Broader Digital Advertising Landscape

The financial services industry faces unique digital marketing challenges in an environment where traditional display advertising continues to deteriorate. For standard banner ads, a CTR of 0.05% is considered average, while static banners typically achieve CTRs around the 0.1% mark.

The decline in banner effectiveness isn’t just about numbers – it’s about fundamental changes in user behavior. We are served more than 1,700 banner ads per month, leading to widespread banner blindness where users actively ignore display advertising.

Regional data reinforces these challenges. Standard banner CTRs were highest for the apparel (0.24%), telecom (0.21%) and retail (0.2%) verticals and lowest for the sports (0.07%), corporate (0.08%) and careers (0.1%) sectors, demonstrating that even in the best-performing industries, banner ads struggle to achieve meaningful engagement.

The Trust Factor: Building Relationships in Financial Services

Financial services marketing faces a fundamental trust challenge. Customers are increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising, with 25% of users employing ad blockers, up 34% from the previous year.

Micronotes addresses this challenge head-on by:

• Leading with education rather than sales pitches
• Providing genuine value through personalized financial insights
• Respecting customer intelligence with sophisticated, relevant content
• Building relationships rather than chasing transactions

Looking Forward: The Future of Financial Institution Marketing

The implications of this 10-year study extend far beyond a single product’s success story. They point toward a fundamental shift in how financial institutions must approach customer engagement:

From Interruption to Integration

The days of interrupting customers with irrelevant banner ads are numbered. The future belongs to platforms that integrate seamlessly into the customer journey.

From Generic to Personal

Mass marketing messages are increasingly ineffective. Customers expect and respond to personalized, relevant communications that acknowledge their unique financial situation.

From Product-Push to Value-First

Leading with value and education builds trust and engagement in ways that product-focused advertising simply cannot match.

Key Takeaways for Financial Institution Leaders

1. The Banner Ad Era is Ending: With CTRs below 0.1% and declining, traditional banner advertising in financial services is no longer a viable customer engagement strategy.
2. Personalization is Non-Negotiable: The 23x performance difference demonstrates the power of relevant, personalized customer communications.
3. Timing Matters: Engaging customers when they’re actively thinking about their finances dramatically improves response rates.
4. Trust Through Value: Educational, value-first approaches build the trust necessary for effective financial services marketing.
5. Integration Over Interruption: The most effective digital engagement happens within, not alongside, the customer’s banking experience.

Conclusion: A New Paradigm for Financial Services Marketing

The 10-year Micronotes study represents more than impressive statistics – it represents proof of concept for an entirely new approach to financial services marketing. In an industry where customer trust is paramount and attention is increasingly scarce, the ability to deliver 2.3% click-through rates consistently over a decade isn’t just impressive; it’s revolutionary.

As financial institutions continue to navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape, the lesson is clear: the future belongs to those who can deliver genuine value through personalized, timely, and relevant customer engagement. The era of spray-and-pray banner advertising is over. The age of intelligent, customer-centric marketing has begun.

For financial institutions still relying on traditional banner advertising with its 0.1% performance rates, the question isn’t whether to evolve – it’s how quickly they can embrace the proven power of personalized, value-driven customer engagement.

The data speaks for itself: 23 times better performance isn’t just an improvement – it’s a complete transformation of what’s possible in financial services marketing. Learn more.

References for Banner Ad Click-Through Rates

SocialSellinator (2024)
“Decoding Display Ad CTR”
“Static Banners: These are the traditional display ads you see on websites. Their CTR is usually around the 0.1% mark”
URL: https://www.socialsellinator.com/social-selling-blog/average-click-through-rate-display-ads

Smart Insights (2025)
“2024 average ad click through rates (CTRs) for paid search, display and social media”
Previous pre-2015 Doubleclick data shows an average CTR of just 0.05% for all display formats
URL: https://www.smartinsights.com/internet-advertising/internet-advertising-analytics/display-advertising-clickthrough-rates/

Marketing Insider Group (2023)
“Banner Ads Have 99 Problems And A Click Ain’t One”
Banner ad click through rates have fallen to less than 0.1%
URL: https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/banners-99-problems/

AdPushup
“9 Ways to Improve the Clickthrough Rates of Banner Ads”
There has been a continued decline in banner clickthrough rates, which where around 78% in 1994 and have fallen to 0.1% now
URL: https://www.adpushup.com/blog/9-ways-to-increase-the-clickthrough-rates-of-your-banner-ads/

MediaPost/Marketing Charts (2016)
“Research Brief: North America Banner Click Through Rate Up To 0.14%”
Based on Sizmek study analyzing hundreds of billions of impressions: “The North American average of 0.14% was slightly below the global average”
URL: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/290285/north-america-banner-click-through-rate-up-to-014.html

Quora – MediaMind Research Citation
“What are average click-through rates for mobile banner ads?”
MediaMind studied 21 billion telecom impressions that were delivered globally from Q2 2010 to Q1 2011: “Mobile Advertising CTRs averaging 0.64% while online banners had an average of 0.10%”
URL: https://www.quora.com/What-are-average-click-through-rates-for-mobile-banner-ads

Neurons
“How to Increase Display Ad CTR + Examples [Based on Neuroscience]”
“For standard banner ads, a CTR of 0.05% is considered average” and “A 2% click-through rate (CTR) for display ads can be considered good, as it is higher than the average CTR of 0.1%”
URL: https://www.neuronsinc.com/insights/increase-display-ad-ctr-examples-neuroscience

By Devon Kinkead

The Story Your Audience Is Living

After three manic years—pandemic‐era liquidity, 2023 outflows into money-market funds, and the 2024 “will-they-won’t-they” Fed pivot—banks are asking the same question BAI poses in its latest Executive Report: How do we restore healthy deposit accounts and deeper engagement? (BAI)
BAI’s research team sees a rebound ahead but with an important caveat: “Positive deposit growth will likely return … but only if institutions focus on quality growth over quantity growth.” (BAI)

The Villain

Rate-induced churn and digital convenience still siphon balances:

• BAI’s 2024 Banking Outlook re-confirmed deposit growth as bankers’ #1 business priority, after 2023’s SVB-triggered flight to safety .
• Quality-deposit hot spots now move by ZIP-code-level pricing, real-time negotiable rates and gamified CDs—all trends spotlighted in the Special Report: Quality Deposit Growth & Customer Retention .
• Digitally opened accounts skew smaller and less loyal, unless FIs intervene with smarter onboarding and offers .

Meet the Guide—Micronotes

Micronotes’ targeted digital conversations operationalise the very tactics BAI urges:

1. Automate the “large deposit list & outreach plan” – To interview customers who just made a large deposit on their mobile phone.
2. Personalise the moment – Don’t advertise, ask and listen — automatically. Large deposits are life events, help customers through those life events and you’ll be richly rewarded.
3. Nurture to stickiness – Automate follow-ups to reinforce relationship depth so balances stay put.

The Plan

Step	What Micronotes Does	How It Maps to BAI + Special-Report Pain Points
1. Diagnose Deposit Drift	In-app Microinterviews + transaction analytics	Captures spikes (tax refunds, bonus season, home sales, inheritance) flagged by ProSight/BAI researchers
2. Precision Product Paths	Let the customer choose what they need (a new mortgage, wealth management advice, a CD) — don’t guess then advertise your wrong guess.	Supports BAI’s call for quality growth
3. Engage & Automate	Conversational offers flow through mobile, online and branch tablets	Meets BAI’s friction-free CX benchmark and boosts digital account averages that currently lag in-branch openings

Call to Action

Schedule a 30-minute Micronotes demo to see how targeted conversations lift deposit balances, cut funding costs, and keep you ahead of the next Fed pivot.

Success—What Winning Looks Like

• 20%+ of new deposits sourced digitally without shrinking average balance.
• CD share stabilises at ~20 % of portfolio—matching 2024 highs—but with longer tenors and lower repricing risk.
• Region-specific campaigns secure a “fair share of checking” in growth markets, just as BAI advises (BAI).

Failure—The Cost of Inaction

Ignore BAI’s warning and 2025 could replay 2023: balances migrate, funding costs spike, and the liquidity meant to fuel local lending evaporates.

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Executive Takeaways

1. Quality > Quantity – BAI’s latest data say so, and Micronotes makes it actionable.
2. Segment Like a Fintech – ZIP-code-level pricing and real-time rate negotiation are table stakes now.
3. Automate or Abdicate – 70 %+ straight-through account opening is the new baseline.
4. Conversation Beats Campaign – Continuous dialogues outperform one-and-done email blasts for retention.

“Positive deposit growth will likely return in the second half of 2024 … [but] focus on quality growth over quantity growth.” — Mark Riddle, BAI Director of Research Intelligence (BAI)

With Micronotes as your guide—and BAI’s research lighting the path—deposit growth isn’t just meaningful. It’s manageable, measurable, and profitable.

By Xav Harrigin-Ramoutar

In today’s banking environment, retaining accountholders is more challenging than ever. Financial institutions face the dual pressures of high customer expectations and an industry ripe with alternatives, pushing them towards innovative solutions to maintain customer loyalty. Micronotes.ai presents a pioneering approach with its retention use-case, designed to transform how banks understand and engage their accountholders. Leveraging advanced predictive analytics and automated engagement tools, Micronotes offers a dynamic solution that not only anticipates accountholder attrition but proactively addresses it, enhancing the banking experience and solidifying customer relationships.

Micronotes’ Retention Use-Case

Micronotes’ retention use-case harnesses the power of predictive analytics to transform how financial institutions manage accountholder retention. This feature uses sophisticated machine learning algorithms to forecast accountholder attrition risk with remarkable precision. The system achieves high accuracy, as indicated by key performance metrics such as a Precision of 0.80, Recall of 0.75, and an F-score of 0.79. These metrics are crucial, with Precision indicating the accuracy of the predictions made, Recall reflecting the ability to capture all potential attrition cases, and the F-score providing a balance between Precision and Recall, ensuring robustness in the predictive model.

In addition to predictive capabilities, Micronotes’ use-case enhances accountholder engagement through its automated engagement feature. This system proactively initiates conversations with at-risk accountholders. By doing so, it demonstrates the institution’s commitment to individual customer needs and satisfaction, fostering a sense of valued connection.

The integration of automated, timely interventions with personalized banking experiences is particularly powerful. Personalization is achieved by tailoring the banking experience to meet individual accountholder needs, which significantly enhances loyalty and reduces the likelihood of attrition. This personalized approach not only addresses immediate concerns and offers relevant solutions but also reinforces the accountholder’s relationship with the institution, turning potential attrition into an opportunity for engagement and retention enhancement. Together, these features create a proactive ecosystem where customer satisfaction is continually nurtured, leading to improved retention rates and a stronger financial institution-accountholder bond.

How It Works

Micronotes’ retention use-case seamlessly integrates into financial institutions’ mobile applications, offering a streamlined and efficient approach to accountholder retention. Utilizing advanced machine learning algorithms, the system continuously analyzes millions of data points collected over time. This technology is adept at identifying nuanced patterns and behaviors that are indicative of potential accountholder attrition.

Once the system identifies an accountholder with a greater than 50% probability of leaving, it triggers a proactive step within the mobile banking application. This involves initiating a tailored conversation specifically designed to address the individual’s unique circumstances and concerns.

Key Advantages

Implementing Micronotes.ai’s retention use-case provides direct and impactful benefits to financial institutions, significantly enhancing their operational capabilities and financial performance. One of the primary advantages is the substantial increase in retention rates. By proactively identifying and engaging at-risk accountholders, banks can address concerns before they escalate to the point of account closure, effectively reducing churn and maintaining a more stable customer base.

The retention use-case also offers sophisticated reporting tools that provide deep insights into the effectiveness of engagement strategies. These reports allow institutions to monitor success rates in real-time and pinpoint areas that require improvement. By analyzing trends and outcomes, banks can continuously refine their approaches to better meet the needs of their accountholders, ensuring that strategies remain responsive and effective.

Moreover, the proactive measures facilitated by Micronotes transform potential losses into opportunities for relationship strengthening. When a bank reaches out to an at-risk accountholder with personalized solutions, it not only prevents attrition but also demonstrates commitment and value, deepening the customer’s trust and loyalty. This proactive engagement fosters a positive perception of the bank, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and potentially more business through additional services or products.

Ultimately, these benefits contribute significantly to a financial institution’s bottom line. Increased retention rates stabilize deposit and revenue streams, while insightful analytics optimize operational strategies, reducing costs associated with customer acquisition and churn. The transformation of potential losses into relationship-building opportunities also cultivates a more robust and loyal customer base, enhancing long-term profitability and growth for the institution.

Key Takeaway

Adopting advanced technologies like Micronotes’ Cross-Sell retention use-case enhances accountholder retention, turning potential churn into opportunities for deepened customer relationships and growth. Discover how Micronotes can transform your retention strategies—contact us today to learn more or to schedule a demonstration of our pioneering retention use-case.

By Xav Harrigin-Ramoutar

The choice between indirect and direct lending strategies significantly influences a financial institution’s operational effectiveness and its relationship with customers or members. Each approach offers distinct advantages and challenges, impacting everything from customer engagement to market reach. This article delves into the nuances of indirect versus direct lending, aiming to provide a clear understanding of their roles within the financial ecosystem. By examining the pros and cons associated with each, we offer insights to assist financial institutions in making informed decisions that align with their strategic goals and customer needs.

One Destination – Two Roads

Indirect lending involves intermediaries, such as auto dealerships, facilitating loans at the point of sale, offering convenience but potentially at higher costs. Direct lending, conversely, represents a direct financial relationship between borrower and lender, usually resulting in better interest rates and stronger customer relationships. The choice between these lending strategies profoundly impacts a financial institution’s risk management, customer engagement, and ability to penetrate various markets. Indirect lending’s process begins with the intermediary’s facilitation of a loan application, whereas direct lending involves consumers approaching the lender directly, undergoing a thorough assessment before loan approval. Selecting the right lending approach is crucial for financial institutions, as it influences not just operational practices but also the long-term satisfaction and loyalty of their customers.

The Upsides of Indirect Lending

Indirect lending expands a financial institution’s reach through intermediary partnerships, connecting with a broader audience and potentially increasing loan volumes. It enhances consumer convenience by integrating financing into the purchasing process, streamlining transactions and encouraging more immediate buying decisions. This method can significantly simplify complex purchases, such as automobiles, by allowing customers to select and finance in one seamless process. The immediacy and ease of indirect lending can also boost sales for retailers and the lending institution, growing the loan portfolio without the barriers of traditional financing methods. This approach’s convenience and streamlined process cater to consumer preferences for quick and integrated financial solutions, driving up application volumes and loan disbursements.

Hurdles in Indirect Lending

However, indirect lending may subject consumers to higher interest rates due to intermediary markups, raising concerns over transparency and fairness. The reduced personal interaction complicates the development of robust customer relationships, limiting opportunities for personalized service and understanding broader financial needs. Additionally, this model introduces credit risk and operational complexities, as managing a network of intermediaries can lead to inconsistencies in lending practices. These challenges necessitate stringent oversight and robust operational frameworks to ensure compliance, maintain loan portfolio health, and safeguard against fraud, adding significant operational burden to the lending institution.

Unlocking the Benefits of Direct Lending

Direct lending fosters stronger customer relationships through direct communication, allowing for a more personalized lending experience. It typically offers more competitive interest rates, as it bypasses intermediary markups, directly benefiting consumers. This model grants financial institutions greater control over the lending process, improving risk management, compliance, and operational efficiency. The direct approach leads to enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty, reinforcing the institution’s reputation as a trusted financial partner. By prioritizing customer-centric practices and transparency, direct lending aligns closely with the values of financial institutions committed to serving the best interests of their customers.

Limitations to Consider in Direct Lending

Direct lending’s reach is inherently more limited, reliant on the institution’s marketing efforts to attract borrowers. The intensive need for marketing to compensate for this limited reach can strain resources, posing challenges, particularly for smaller institutions. Scalability becomes a concern as maintaining high levels of personal service during expansion requires significant investment in technology and staff. These challenges highlight the strategic considerations institutions must navigate to successfully implement direct lending while sustaining quality customer interactions and service standards. 

The Road Ahead

The landscape of indirect and direct lending reveals a complex array of advantages and challenges, each shaping the strategic direction of financial institutions. While indirect lending offers convenience and expanded reach, it comes with the risk of higher costs and less personal engagement. Direct lending, conversely, promotes stronger relationships and competitive rates but faces limitations in market reach and scalability. Navigating these paths requires a thoughtful approach, balancing the benefits of each while addressing their inherent drawbacks. As the financial industry continues to evolve, the choice between indirect and direct lending will remain a pivotal decision for institutions striving to meet their customers’ needs and achieve long-term success. 

For financial institutions interested in exploring the new member/customer direct lending opportunity in their branch footprint, go here for a free near-branch direct lending growth analysis based on 230MM consumer credit records updated weekly.