NTC’s Creative Point of View

Let’s be honest, the mortgage servicing industry isn’t known for creativity. Whether you’re scrolling through industry-related websites or walking around exhibitor booths at conferences and expos, you find yourself in a sea of serif fonts, stock photos of homes, and saturated blues and greys.

There is nothing inherently wrong with branding that follows industry norms. It’s safe, simple, and your customers will associate your logo, name and those blues and greys with the mortgage industry.

The color blue isn’t random either. It’s well known to give off feelings of trust and dependability, which is why it’s so ubiquitous in the insurance and mortgage servicing sectors. It’s the same reason why fast food chains use reds and yellows to evoke feelings of excitement, speed, and even hunger.

But being on autopilot with design may no longer be enough. The mortgage servicing industry and related sectors publish a dizzying array of content, more than ever before, each with their own objectives and metrics that could make or break a significant investment. Getting lost in the sea of ordinary design is now measurable, resulting in less customers engaging with a new product or service.

The solution is already out there, but it takes a bit of bravery to use it. Creativity in marketing is no longer the domain of flashier industries. It’s for any company that needs more effective content and wants to fully capitalize on their investments.

Now’s the time for the mortgage servicing industry and its related sectors to see creativity as the must-have tool that it is, rather than the nice-to-have luxury it once was.

 

Out of the Dark and Into the Light

Over a year ago, NTC launched PerfectDocs, a web-based solution that gives users the ability to prepare and record their own lien release and assignment of mortgage documents. It’s an innovative solution for the mortgage servicing industry, so it needed innovative branding to reach its full potential.

This was NTC’s opportunity to step outside of guidelines and comfortable industry norms. And it seized it.

At its core, PerfectDocs offers a new, easy, and modern way of preparing and recording documents. From its purpose came the tagline, “Out of the Dark and Into the Light”. A fitting line that would also be used to help guide creative decisions.

Next came the colors. If the old way was “the dark,” then NTC’s PerfectDocs’ new way is “the light”. This justified a bright and bold color to bring the metaphor to life. With the optimistic emotions associated with yellow and confidence associated with orange, the ideal intersection was a bright marigold.

But to complete the metaphor, “the dark,” needed to be incorporated. The background couldn’t be the typical white, but 100% black was too harsh. The solution? Gunmetal grey. The ideal backdrop to allow “the light” of the PerfectDocs’ marigold logo to shine through. From online banners and print ads to booth displays and brochures, PerfectDocs cut through the sea of blue.

A bold, catchy, modern design for a bold and innovative service. Not design for design’s sake, but creative design based on a true insight that stemmed from the offering itself. The result? PerfectDocs was an instant hit and went on to become a 2020 HousingWire Tech100 Mortgage Winner.

 

Going Forward

After PerfectDocs’ brand identity was met with positive feedback and results, NTC considered how to apply the same thought processes to elevate other marketing materials. Creativity in NTC’s marketing strategy is here to stay.

Adding a new product or service to your lineup? Then consider the powerful influence of creativity in its marketing and advertising. It starts at the product or service, begins to form with an authentic insight, then takes shape with a willingness to step outside the norm and stay true to the offering.

The right creative touch, however subtle or bold, has the potential to strengthen your brand and tap into the emotions that represent your products and services. Like NTC, you may find that sometimes it’s better to stand out while everyone else is playing it safe.