Chime in a Fortune Cookie?

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! We’re deep into September now, the month where your iced coffee order feels morally questionable, but you’re still sweating in a hoodie because you committed to “fall vibes.” Think of this newsletter as your guilt-free scroll while you avoid finishing that Q3 report.

Each week, we bring you sharp insights from bold campaigns and creative marketing plays that are served up with a side of wit, because marketing is serious enough already.

This week’s feature shows that when it comes to banking, sometimes the smartest way to cut through the noise is tucked inside a fortune cookie.

Here’s how it played out…

If there’s any brand making banking feel less like a chore and more like a choice, it’s Chime. Based in San Francisco, Chime has always stood out as the no-fee, mobile-first alternative to traditional banks.

But when it came time to scale awareness, the challenge was real: how do you make “budgeting and savings” resonate in a crowded fintech space without sounding like the adulting police?

That’s where OpenFortune stepped in with a campaign that was as unexpected as it was effective: fortune cookies.

Instead of bland banner ads or another forgettable pre-roll, Chime messages arrived in the form of good fortune —l iterally.

Nearly 2 million cookies were distributed nationwide, each slip pairing uplifting money manifestations with a clean Chime logo and a QR code linking directly to the app.

The front? Inspiration. The back? A brand invitation.

Turns out, no one minds talking about finances when there’s crispy, crunchy optimism involved. And the results speak for themselves:

• 69% unaided recall — ~7 in 10 people remembered Chime with no reminders, funnels, or follow-up nudges.

• 34% intent to learn more — one in three people scanned, clicked, or checked out Chime afterward.

• 17% recommendation rate — Nearly one in five people felt moved enough by their fortunes to share their experience with someone else, proving even a small cookie can drive serious word of mouth.
  
  Plus some other big metrics below:

The brilliance here wasn’t just the format. It was the general vibe.

By combining future-focused financial empowerment with the timeless joy of cracking open a fortune cookie, Chime created a feel good moment that stuck.

To see how Chime turned fortune cookies into a marketing play with mouth-watering results, check out the full case study.

And if you’re curious how OpenFortune can help your brand land in the right hands (and mouths), reply to this email or a book a call below.

🥠 The Cookie Jar

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

• Nike reframes ‘Just Do It’ as ‘Why Do It?’ to engage next-gen athletes. Just Do It gets a therapy session.

• Liquid Death and Spinal Tap team up for an 11-pack of canned water. This collab goes to 11, literally.

• How Duolingo turns social stunts into long-term growth. Behind that passive-aggresive owl is a marketing empire.

• How OpenFortune Helped Dude Wipes Make a Fortunate Marketing Splash. This collab was the sh*t.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team