The People Behind Our Brands: Alex Altman
Over the years, we’ve added dozens of influential brands to the Red Ventures portfolio, including Healthline, The Points Guy, Bankrate, CNET, and more. Together, our brands help people make some of life’s most important decisions — and behind the scenes, our team of creatives, analysts, business leaders and technologists bring those brands to life.
One of those behind-the-scenes RVers is Alex. He is a Director of Content Design for our financial service teams and recently co-led Bankrate’s first national brand campaign since 1999.
Watch Bankrate's first national brand campaign since 1999 RIGHT HERE!
When he’s not busy heading up major brand campaigns, he’s probably eating Bojangles and daydreaming about his childhood fantasy of becoming an NBA star.
“I was never good enough to play college basketball, but I was good enough to write about it.”
Q: We saw this brief backstory you shared LinkedIn about Bankrate’s new brand campaign (which we loved and is what brought us to this conversation). Tell us more about how it originated!
A: It’s been a minute since Bankrate has advertised on a national scale. Well, technically, 22 years, but who’s counting? In this era of financial uncertainty, the timing was right for Bankrate to emerge from the shadows and assert itself as a brand that can guide people through these troubling economic times.
A Bankrate ad from 1999 (we've come a long way).
Q: What was the biggest risk the team had to overcome?
A: Did I mention it’s been 22 years since Bankrate has made a brand investment like this? Any time you’re talking about a significant ad spend, during a pandemic no less, there’s some risk involved. But you’ve also gotta ask yourself: what’s the risk in doing nothing? It was time for Bankrate to take a big swing!
Q: What were the most motivating aspects of this project?
A: At the risk of sounding grandiose, a chance to solve one of society’s biggest problems. Financial illiteracy is a major issue in the U.S. and it’s only getting worse. Between our editorial content, learning courses, calculators and guided experiences, Bankrate is positioned to help address this problem in ways few others can. This campaign afforded us the opportunity to share that story and promote our extensive brand offerings on a much larger scale.
Q: What’s your biggest takeaway(s) from this project?
A: That I work with some of the smartest, most courageous and most passionate people in the business. S/O to Christina Wells, Tim Meissner, Richard Jordan, Kyle Britt, Haley Spindler, Ricky Carlton and Maks Sokolov, who was my original partner-in-crime on this big bet.
The Bankrate Bunch
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the team behind the campaign
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Q: How does this rebrand better represent our purpose of helping people make important decisions?
A: Because it’s authentic and relatable. The beautiful thing about this campaign is that it’s less about Bankrate and more about the people we support. By showing these real, uncut moments of people on the cusp of a major life event and positioning Bankrate as the place they can turn for guidance, we’re highlighting our brand promise to support people through every next step of their financial journey.
Q: What led you to your career at RV?
A: I came to Charlotte mostly for the chance to eat a lot of Bojangles. I got hooked when I interned for Sporting News in 2009! That was my original career goal — to be a sportswriter. But when my only journalism job offer was to cover rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, I realized it was time to pivot. I found my footing in the ad game and bounced around a few agencies in Detroit. Great experiences, great memories. But when the opportunity to join RV presented itself, it was a no-brainer.
Alex’s first job out of college was as a writer for a natural gas company in Texas. Here he is standing on a drill site, wondering where it all went wrong for him (his words, not ours).
Q: What type of work is most motivating to you?
A: I’ve always been captivated by underdog stories. Telling the stories of people who beat the odds has always been a passion of mine. At this stage of my career, taking a brand I believe in from relative anonymity to the heights of consumer consciousness is an extremely motivating proposition. Not quite your classic underdog story, but good enough for me.
Q: Anyone else on your team we can/should shout out?
A: YES! S/O to my Bankrate creative team, and specifically to my two incredible content designers, Rachel Kauffman and Emily Bernabei. You’re only as good as the people who surround you. They are two of the best!
Discover how Bankrate can help YOU discover your next milestone by visiting their site here!