Amex bumped new card sign-ups by almost 150% with Yahoo’s BetterMe Magazine

American Express (Amex) is well aware of its competition in Hong Kong’s congested credit card market. And to win, it needs greater card acquisition and strong top-of-mind awareness as an affordable luxury that is not just a credit card but a portal to sought-after offerings. Amex wants to drive home the message of its “Don’t live life without it” motto and empower cardmembers to live better lives with the American Express Platinum Credit Card.

Since 2014, Yahoo’s BetterMe online magazine has shared the same target audiences and garnered a substantial following of young people who are socially active and prioritise work-life balance and relationships. BetterMe is known for lifestyle-oriented news comprised of topics like travel, relationships, and life goals, leading and encouraging audiences towards better well-being.

First, Amex and BetterMe partnered with KOLs to produce soft content on how an American Express Platinum Credit Card plays a crucial role in strengthening relationships between not only partners but also families and friends. These KOLs are known for their views on relationships and have a strong following among Amex’s target audience of young, affluent adults. Meanwhile, the BetterMe in-house team also produced original content and videos, themed around the credit card’s ability to empower cardmembers in problem-solving scenarios.

Examples of videos included; a comical take on three guy friends paying for each other’s dinner bills with Amex when their allowances are strapped by their loving wives, and another of a couple rekindling their relationship with Amex’s Friday buy-one-get-one-free movie ticket offer.

Meanwhile, articles were helmed around Amex dining, travel, and movie offers, and were disguised as advice columns with topics such as “how to enhance relationships between partners”, or “ways to support your parents’ life after retirement”.

Native and audience based ads brought specific demographics to relevant articles, with each, of course, providing a link to the Amex offer and sign-up page. Entry points were also scattered across the Yahoo Frontpage and TV portals, the BetterMe website and Facebook account, and the social media pages of the partnered KOLs.

By selecting the right platform to amplify its branding and by preaching to the right target audience, the campaign delivered more than 14 million impressions in just two and a half months. Video has here again proven itself to be king with the videos produced in this campaign garnering more than 1.4 million in reach on social media platforms alone, and 1.1 million views on YahooTV. Cost per card sign-up decreased by 30% while approved card sign-ups shot up almost 150%.

This content was sponsored by Verizon