Cut Through the Noise: Using Competitive Research to Stay Aligned with Your True Objectives

Using competitive research to cut through the noise

Financial services has a volume problem: too many messages, not enough meaning. It’s why the category is rife with creative that is virtually indistinguishable from one brand to another. That’s exactly why you need to start by doing competitive research. It’s an opening move—not a rescue mission—that sets a clear baseline for what the category is saying (and equally important, what it’s not saying), where it’s adding friction, and where a distinctive story can win. Used this way, competitive research keeps strategy, story, and execution ruthlessly aligned to the goals from day one.

Why competitive research matters now

The financial services market has never been more crowded—or more commoditized. Brands push out a flood of messages, often anchored to the same benefits. And to the customer? It all looks alike. Without disciplined competitive research, it’s easy to repeat those clichés and get lost in the noise. Starting with a clear read of the landscape helps separate what can truly differentiate from what’s already overused, and it shows where brands can create contrast. In a sea of sameness, that distinction can be what moves the needle the most.

What to look for (and what to ignore)

Don’t treat competitive research as a scavenger hunt. Instead, examine how competitors frame customer problems, how they use technology to solve the problems, the evidence they provide, and where their stories fall apart. Ask whether a claim is backed by proof, watch for places where friction creeps into the experience, and test whether a line could just as easily belong to someone else. If it could, it’s not distinctive enough. And what should you ignore? Stunts and flashy features that don’t move the KPI, or broad promises any brand could make.

How we use it to keep teams aligned

Good competitive research doesn’t create the ideas; it finds the open space and helps sharpen ideas to really stand out. It helps make faster, better calls because the conversation is anchored to reality, not opinion and taste. It brings in research specific to the brief – not the category, focusing everyone on the problem to be solved and the outcome the business needs. It strengthens the value proposition by mapping what others claim—and where they can’t credibly go—so you can carve out a lane the work can own. And it prevents distractions: when a request would blur distinctiveness or add friction, you can point to evidence from the market to show why it doesn’t belong.

A quick way to put this to work

For your next campaign, zero in on one outcome. Compare your message to the top competitors and strip out anything they could also say. Walk through their flows like a customer with a job to do and note every delay. Pressure‑test your concepts against two questions: does it solve a real customer friction, and could a competitor plausibly say it? Finally, use those answers to align stakeholders and commit with confidence.

Advice to act on: Want to stay aligned in a noisy market? Use competitive research early to set the baseline. Anchor the goal, map what rivals really say and do, and let that evidence sharpen your story so it’s unmistakably yours—and ruthlessly focused on the outcome.