Repositioning a transactional product into a trusted partner for small business owner

WEX — Global Financial Technology

BRAND Campaign | Digital | Motion | Strategy

Overview

A shift from transaction to trust

WEX set out to strengthen its position with small business owners — a segment that depends on vehicles but doesn’t always identify as “fleet-based.”

Historically, marketing focused heavily on short-term conversion, leaving little room for brand storytelling or emotional connection. The result was a gap between product value and brand perception.

The challenge was to reposition the WEX Fleet Card from a transactional tool into a trusted partner, while proving that brand-led storytelling could drive measurable performance.

WEX is a global financial technology organization with 6,000+ employees across 13 countries, supporting three primary lines of business spanning 10 business units.

Role

William (Chris) Wilbanks
Creative Director / Head of Creative

Responsibilities

Creative Direction
Campaign Strategy
Concept Development
Cross-Functional Leadership

Strategy

Building Quiet Confidence

The campaign was designed to elevate brand perception while driving awareness and qualified engagement.

Small business owners are stretched across every part of their operation. They need tools that reduce friction and give them confidence to move forward.

This became the platform:

"Quiet Confidence"

Positioning WEX as the dependable, behind-the-scenes partner that enables businesses to operate with control and clarity.

You drive your business. We’ll fuel it

Concept

Small business owners as capable, self-driven leaders, supported by WEX

tone

Relatable, confident, and emotionally grounded

visual style

Dark palette, natural light, documentary realism

Placements

photography

Process

From alignment to execution

This campaign was one of the first to fully leverage WEX’s end-to-end creative operating model.

• Led cross-functional co-creation sessions to align on audience, messaging, and tone
• Partnered with vendor to execute a scalable production model
• Worked with Brand and Digital to test and optimize messaging variations
• Delivered a structured creative handoff system for evergreen use
  

The process became a repeatable model for future Tier 1 campaigns

93.6%

Video completion rate

$0.01

Cost per view

+23.9%

Apply Now CTR

+84%

CTV CTR vs control

1.57M impressions | 1.83M video views

Brand storytelling drove both engagement and conversion, reshaping how WEX approaches marketing.

Emotional storytelling outperforms transactional messaging

Early alignment improves speed and quality

Human-centered design builds trust and repositioning

Visual direction

• Cinematic realism
• Dark, premium palette
• Natural light with warm highlights and cool shadows
• Authentic environments
• Modern typography

About

I’m a creative leader with 20+ years of experience building and leading teams across enterprise organizations, eCommerce environments, and brand transformation efforts.

My work sits at the intersection of brand, campaign, and execution. I focus on building creative organizations that can deliver strong work consistently, even under pressure.

Let's build something that holds.

If you’re leading a brand where creative demand is outpacing clarity, we should talk.

Phone: (630) 640-9337
Email: william@williamwilbanks.com

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