Federal regulators are planning to more aggressively probe the marketing of financial products for discrimination.
Let’s say you’re a lender seeking to market a new credit card. You decide to buy ads on MSNBC, a TV network whose viewership is around 70% white and 8% Hispanic (in contrast to the overall U.S. population, which is 59% white and 19% Hispanic). Alternatively, you decide to use an audience builder that results in the targeting of disproportionally middle-aged consumers to the exclusion of those above the age of 62.
Would these marketing decisions be fair?
If you haven’t considered questions like these, now is the time to start: federal regulators are planning to more aggressively probe the marketing of financial products for discrimination.
What’s more, this heightened regulatory focus on marketing fairness may extend to companies that are not generally regarded as being a part of the financial industry, such as outside marketing firms.
