Why Financial Brands Must Challenge Their Own Assumptions

Stop guessing. Start leading.

In a commoditized market, the most dangerous thing you can do is assume you already know what your audience needs.

At Shiny, we see this constantly: financial brands making decisions based on stale assumptions, legacy data, or internal echo chambers. And it’s not because the teams aren’t smart — it’s because the pressure to “move fast” often shortcuts thinking that actually drives results.

If your brand is trying to stand out in a sea of sameness, here’s one thing that’s non-negotiable: You must ruthlessly challenge your own assumptions. And if your agency isn’t helping you to challenge your own assumptions, they’re doing it wrong.

One-size-fits-all thinking still runs deep

It’s easy to believe your customers are financially savvy. That they understand all the ins-and-outs of financial products and all they need is a nudge to take action.

But according to Shiny’s 2024 Finsights study, 39% of consumers rate their own financial knowledge as “average,” and 28% say they only know the basics​.

That means two-thirds of your potential audience may not understand the language, structure, or even the premise of your marketing. And yet, many financial services brands still default to jargon-heavy messaging, assuming everyone is already an expert on financial terms.

The result? Confusion, indifference, apathy…and underperforming work.

Challenge assumptions. Discover opportunities.

When we work with our financial services Clients, we bake assumption-challenging into every phase of a project — from Brief through concept development.

That includes:

• Asking “Where’s the proof?” every time someone says, “Our customers only care about X.”
• Pressure-testing beliefs with stakeholder interviews.
• Holding creative work to a higher standard than just “this is what’s worked before.”

It’s not about being contrarian. It’s about being ruthlessly focused on what actually matters — and uncovering insights you can build something meaningful around.

Look for the assumption hiding in the “facts”

Assumptions often sound like facts:

• “Everyone’s digital now.” (Are they really?)
• “No one reads direct mail.” (Then why is it outperforming email for acquisition?)
• “We need to sound sophisticated.” (Or do you need to sound human?)

The real cost of unchecked assumptions isn’t just bad creative. It’s missed revenue. Bloated media spend. Lost time chasing ideas that don’t land.

We’ve seen Clients course-correct entire campaigns when we challenge early assumptions — and reframe the Brief not around their product’s RTBs but around the enemy of their customers (more on the notion of customer enemy in this article.)

It’s not easy. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s the fastest way to get to creative that feels custom-built for a customer who has felt misunderstood by your competitors.

What to do now

Here’s a simple gut check to bring into your next project kickoff:

1. Ask “What do we think we know?”
   And follow it with: “When’s the last time we validated that?”
2. Interview someone outside the room.
   A Customer. A frontline team member. A stakeholder with a different POV.
3. Rewrite your Brief with fresh eyes.
   If your Brief reads like it was built for a boardroom, it probably was. What if it was written to solve a present-day problem of your prospect?

At Shiny, we believe the best ideas come from humility, not certainty. That’s why we challenge assumptions at every turn — because in a saturated market, the safest move is often the losing one.