Pepper launches campaign showcasing ‘real-life broker stories’

The campaign has been launched amid a changing lending environment, where more borrowers are finding themselves unable to pass the serviceability buffers of the mainstream banks.

As well as advertising collateral, the campaign features videos of three brokers outlining how they’ve been using non-bank lenders to find solutions for their clients.

The featured brokers in the videos are:

• Jessica Rix — a mortgage broker at Mortgage Choice Mildura
• Kimberly Linder — director of Mulgrave-based brokerage Xcel Finance
• George Massouridis — founder & chief executive of Earlwood-based brokerage Mortgage Navigators

A separate series showcasing customer stories has also been launched in tandem.

The campaigns are running across digital platforms and broadcast channels (with partnerships including Foxtel, Kayo, NewsCorp, 9NOW, and Optus Sport), while adverts running the message “Bank said no to your home loan? Talk to us, Australia’s real life non-bank” are running across Sydney and Melbourne trams, buses, trains, and in shopping centres.

Speaking of the broker campaign, Pepper Money’s general manager, mortgages and commercial lending, Barry Saoud, said Pepper aimed to celebrate the important work brokers do in assisting customers with a non-bank solution — often when customers are turned down by a bank.

“This campaign celebrates the real difference brokers can make for clients when they are able to deliver a ‘yes’ with a non-bank solution. Ultimately, in our world, brokers are the bridge that connects customers to the opportunities and options that enable their dreams to become a reality,” he said.

“What we hope to achieve with this campaign is an instant association: when the bank says no, give it the non-bank test. Talk to Pepper Money. We offer a diverse range of options across a lifetime of changing circumstances. If we can find a way to help, we will.”

Mr Saoud noted that Pepper had also identified that six in 10 Australians inquire about a home loan but don’t go on to obtain one.

“This tells us that people are likely to be missing out. And in this market, when people are under enormous stress, having options to offer your clients can make a real difference,” he said.

“Providing options for non-conforming clients not only impacts people’s lives but it also has a positive impact on brokers’ businesses.”

Sarah Pikardt, Pepper Money’s general manager, marketing and brand, said that by using real brokers and Pepper customers, the campaign was highlighting the “real-life difference non-bank lending makes.”

“It’s easy to see lending as numbers in the abstract as an industry, but when you take the time to hear the broker’s story or see the real person behind the loan, you get to look at the heart of the Pepper Money brand,” she said.

“Our 2023 campaign is aimed at closing the gap between the growing financial inequities some are faced with by highlighting how offering non-bank options can be the key to finding a ‘yes’.

“That’s why this brand campaign was designed, to educate, inspire, and highlight the opportunities for borrowers and brokers.”

Pepper Money will soon roll out a refreshed training program for brokers about the benefits of using non-bank lending for their clients.

“We want to make it as seamless, efficient, and as simple as possible for brokers. We are invested in their success and that is the focus of this campaign,” Mr Saoud continued.

“Brokers can experience a lot of pressure and are often time-poor, we are here to help reduce that pressure and get their clients on their pathways to ‘yes’.”

[Related: In Focus: How non-banks are supporting mortgage prisoners]