Your Brand Doesn’t Need to Be Loud — It Needs to Be Remembered

In 2021, during peak uncertainty, while working at Bowie Financial Inc. we ran a campaign that said:

“Taxes don’t have to be bananas.”

There was a banana phone photoshoot (on my birthday)
There was a radio ad.
Yes — a certified financial professional went on air talking about bananas and tax planning.

At first glance, it looked playful.

But it wasn’t random.

It was strategic.

Financial marketing tends to default to safe.
Neutral.
Beige.

And during a season when everything felt heavy — policy shifts, pandemic stress, economic uncertainty — the instinct could have been to become even more serious.

Instead, we chose to humanize the message.

We created a pattern interrupt.

We made something memorable.

What Happened

Years later, people don’t say:
“I remember the tax brackets.”

They say:
“I heard Sarah on the radio talking about bananas.”

That’s recall.

And recall is branding.

Information informs.
Memory influences decisions.

Why It Worked

It worked because it aligned with the emotional climate of the moment.

Taxes felt overwhelming.
Life felt overwhelming.

So the campaign softened the message without undermining professionalism.

It didn’t make light of the work.
It made it approachable.

And here’s the strongest proof:

The banana phone and messaging are still on the website today.

Because it still fits.

Not because it was trendy.
But because it reflected the brand’s personality:
Clear.
Human.
Approachable.
Confident.

The Lesson for Founders

You don’t need to be outrageous to stand out.

But you do need to be distinct.

Most brands default to:
Safe.
Predictable.
Forgettable.

But memorable brands create emotional imprinting.

Pattern interrupts build attention.
Personality builds trust.
Story builds recall.

Good branding isn’t about being loud.

It’s about being remembered.

Your brand doesn’t have to be bananas.

But it shouldn’t be beige either.

— Jessica
Founder, Deaken Design Studio