During last year's Super Bowl, E*TRADE successfully revived a long-retired yet still beloved brand character, the E*TRADE Baby. For 2023, we challenged ourselves to continue the story of the E*TRADE Baby in a way that was entertaining while communicating a new message for the brand.

Strategically, research has shown that financial preparedness is a top concern for Americans across demographic groups. This opportunity to speak on the national stage seemed like the perfect time to reassure our current and prospective clients that E*TRADE has the financial products one needs to meet life’s big financial moments with confidence.

Each year, we track a number of metrics following the game, such as earned media, engagement, viewer reception, search, and site visits to etrade.com. After consecutive years advertising in the Super Bowl, these metrics serve as a strong benchmark that we challenged ourselves to beat in every respect.

Throughout “Wedding” we follow the iconic E*TRADE Baby as he helps his best friend prepare for one of life’s biggest financial moments—getting married.

We open on a familiar scene, the prenuptial pep talk. Here we see the E*TRADE Baby fulfill his role as best man by reassuring the groom that, with the help of E*TRADE, he can feel financially prepared to take on any of the big moments that married life may bring.

We then watch as the wedding festivities commence, bringing the viewer into a surreal world where pint-size toddlers celebrate with pacifier-shaped ice sculptures, milk “cocktails,” and cookies.

Overall, the ad reminds viewers how important it is to feel financially prepared for life’s big moments in a way that feels entertaining, relevant, and uniquely ownable by the E*TRADE brand.

The following metrics gathered within the month following the Super Bowl confirmed that our spot had not only successfully outperformed our benchmarks but had also inspired more love for the brand, as well as an understanding of our strategic message.

Earned media pickup increased over 2x compared to last year, signaling that the film sparked widespread cultural interest.

On social, our film drove a 151% increase in views compared to last year’s spot.

Research found “Wedding” significantly outperformed the three previous E*TRADE Super Bowl spots across multiple measures, including likability, information, desire, and relevance. Qualitative responses also confirmed that our message about financial preparedness was understood and well received by our target audience.

On Game Day, organic search for E*TRADE spiked and, in the month following the game, E*TRADE had a 28% lift in daily average prospect site visits to etrade.com.