Background

JB Financial, one of Sri Lanka's largest asset managers, found itself in a peculiar situation. Despite its stellar track record and research-driven approach, newer competitors were eating into its market share. Its digital presence was minimal, and its message wasn't cutting through the noise in a country where bank deposits and gold are still the go-to investment options.

The Brief

Our goal was simple: Help JB Financial get back to where it belongs—the top of the mountain, and manage it all with a very modest budget. JB Financial prides itself on keeping fees relatively low, and naturally, there was a tight constraint on the funds they could use for this endeavor.

Humanizing financial content

Instead of throwing around impressive-sounding numbers that meant little to the average Sri Lankan, we flipped the script. Our content strategy focused on real-life goals like saving for dream homes, planning dream vacations, or buying that gorgeous car you've pined for since you were a teenager.

We injected humor and relatability into an industry known for its stuffiness. The result? Great organic engagement across age groups and competitors scrambling to copy our formula (spoiler alert: they couldn't).

A new website, reimagined and rebuilt from the ground up

We believe websites can be, and ought to be, delightful experiences. JB Financial's old website was a technological relic from 2014, burdened with outdated plugins and neglected WordPress installations. It was a ticking time bomb, particularly from a cybersecurity perspective.

The MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) stack underpinning the new website allows it to scale seamlessly to accommodate large volumes of traffic, and gives it fast load times. We also made use of the Next.js framework and its Server-Side Rendering (SSR) capabilities to significantly enhance SEO performance.

A custom CMS for daily updates

Due to the nature of their industry, it is important for JB Financial to be able to update fund prices everyday, and also update a whole host of information including performance charts, fund returns, and more. So, we developed a mini-CMS (content management system) which allows their employees to update information at any time with ease.

AI-generated art, refined by us

Another real breakthrough was in the design approach. Knowing that JB Financial catered to an upmarket segment, we departed from the typical corporate aesthetic. Instead, we chose a warm, inviting visual language that helped dissipate the fear and uncertainty often associated with relatively newer financial products.

A particular breakthrough came through our custom AI-generated imagery that authentically reflects Sri Lankan culture and everyday life. Though separated by only a few kilometers, Sri Lanka's Buddhist underpinnings and strong Dutch, Portuguese, and British influences make it distinctly different from India. We spent countless hours refining AI outputs to capture this unique cultural identity (Trust us, it’s a lot harder than we make it seem!).

Conclusion

Our efforts are yielding remarkable results across multiple fronts. Between November and December 2024 alone, JB Financial's flagship fund grew by LKR 1 billion and the digital marketing campaigns we run on behalf of JB Financial are generating a healthy number of qualified leads everyday.

The website, which previously struggled to attract visitors, now serves hundreds of users daily. In fact, the traffic growth has been so impressive that we outgrew two analytics plans within the first month after launch – a good problem to have and a clear validation of our approach.

Beyond the numbers, we've helped JB Financial connect with a new generation of investors. The warm, approachable digital presence we built has made more Sri Lankans curious of investment options beyond what they are traditionally used to. And we are hard at work to help JB Financial become a household name in the country.