E*TRADE Launches Next Phase of National Campaign

E*TRADE Group Inc. in Palo Alto, CA launched the next phase of a national marketing campaign designed to communicate its brand as “The Number One Rated Place To Invest Online.”

Based on the success of its advertising and marketing program since the launch of Destination E*TRADE in September, E*TRADE said it will “continue an integrated campaign that represents one of the largest marketing initiatives in the history of online financial services.”

The company has said overall spending will be about million annually for the campaign. Agencies involved are:

• TV/Print/Radio: Gotham
• Online Marketing: Modem Media.Poppe Tyson
• Direct Mail: PTC
• Public Relations: Neale-May and Partners

“Our marketing campaign is firing on all cylinders, and we intend to keep the pedal to the metal with provocative and fresh new advertising and promotions,” said Jerry Gramaglia, senior vice president of marketing at E*TRADE. “We believe that if we can attract investors to our site, Destination E*TRADE will speak for itself.”

Gramaglia said the campaign will focus on customer acquisition through a combination of brand advertising and direct promotions, both online and off-line.

Starting in January, E*TRADE will introduce new television, radio, newspaper and magazine advertisements. E*TRADE’s message will be targeted at the 10 million to 15 million investors who currently use the Internet for investment research, but continue to execute their trades off-line.

The television advertising will use humor to draw a distinction between E*TRADE and both traditional brokers and other online brokerage services. For example, one ad features an awkward conversation between a young, self-centered broker and his middle-aged client.

During the conversation, the broker responds to his client’s inquiry about retirement goals by talking about his own plans for an early retirement. The broker’s faux pas is punctuated by the question: “Who’s looking out for your investments?”

The first three new print ads will highlight the benefits of free real-time quotes, Smart Alerts and access to subscription to IPO’s. New online advertising and marketing programs will echo these themes.