Driving 42% Growth at Aspiration

A first party and full funnel fintech strategy that grew users 42% YoY and improved LTV:CAC by 34%, funding 100M+ trees.

A first party and full funnel fintech strategy that grew users 42% YoY and improved LTV:CAC by 34%, funding 100M+ trees.

Background

Aspiration is a mission-driven fintech offering climate-conscious banking. Our growth efforts needed to scale user acquisition efficiently while reinforcing the brand’s sustainability ethos.

Strategy at a Glance

  • 42% YoY new customer growth via enriched targeting and optimized creative

  • 34% YoY LTV:CAC improvement using UTM + household data to inform bidding

  • 100M+ trees funded through improved downstream user quality

Acquisition Channels

Funnel Stage

Primary Channels

Role

Awareness

OOH (Transit & Billboards), YouTube, Snapchat

Build trust and introduce climate-driven banking

Consideration

Meta (Instagram Video), Reddit, Programmatic (TTD)

Educate with testimonials, sustainability messaging

Conversion

Google & Apple Search Ads, Meta Link Ads, Snap Ads

Drive app installs, debit card signups, and deposits

Retention

In-app messaging, email flows, influencer UGC

Activate climate-linked features (tree funding, roundup)

Audience Targeting Tactics

  • Created lookalike models from top 10% most-engaged users by transaction data

  • Enriched 1P data using Oracle Data & Experian, layering in income and location

  • Applied geo-bid adjustments to lean into states with higher opt-in tree impact

  • Aligned creative dynamically by demographic to align with regional values

Attribution & LTV Strategy

  • Used value-based bidding across Meta and Reddit based on modeled LTV segments

  • Built custom SKAdNetwork mapping in Apple Search Ads to track source-level ROAS

  • Partnered with data science team to adjust bids by CAC-to-LTV ratio by campaign

  • Leveraged Segment + Adjust for real-time MMP insights into install quality

Key Outcomes

  • +42% YoY new customers

  • +34% improvement in LTV:CAC

  • 100M+ trees funded through climate-positive actions

Takeaways

  • Enriched 1P data gave us edge in acquisition efficiency

  • UTM-to-LTV modeling helped us prioritize spend across channels