The rise of digital banking and instant payments changed what consumers expected from their banks. Faster transfers, fewer clicks and real-time access meant that every layer of friction banks removed for customers was also a layer of protection removed from their accounts. Every innovation aimed to reduce the friction between customers and their money. Fraudsters built their business models on that same principle—draining $15.6 billion from Americans through account takeover alone in 2024.
Austin Capital Bank recognized what the industry refused to accept: The problem wasn’t inadequate security features—it was a foundational flaw in how banks approach security altogether. As a federally chartered, FDIC-insured community bank with more than 50 in-house software engineers, ACB operates at a rare intersection—traditional banking institution and fintech development shop under one roof. Founder and CEO Erik Beguin, a former advisor to the Federal Reserve and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, built the bank around a pattern of creating product categories for tailored groups rather than chasing the latest tech trend.
Fort Knox would be his most ambitious undertaking yet: the banking industry’s first high-security savings account. Where competitors minimized friction, Fort Knox embraced it. The bet was counterintuitive—that consumers, once educated about the tradeoffs and implicit risks hidden in “seamless” banking, would choose protection over speed.
The communications challenge matched the product’s ambition. ACB had earned recognition for its early fintech products but desired greater visibility within traditional banking circles—the very audience that needed to validate Fort Knox’s credibility. The messaging would require overcoming two decades of industry conditioning that convenience above all drives consumer engagement and asset growth.
Austin Capital Bank engaged Red Fan to accomplish four objectives in advance of Fort Knox’s July 2025 launch:
Red Fan’s proven Positioned to Win™ method integrated three strategic tracks, all anchored in educational messaging—establishing urgency around the protection gap in traditional banking before introducing Fort Knox as the solution.
Red Fan’s campaign achieved what matters most in category creation: market adoption of the language and positioning the agency developed. “High-security savings account” and “friction by design” became Fort Knox’s defining characteristics in coverage. Journalists and analysts adopted the terminology, establishing Fort Knox as the category leader before competitors could stake adjacent claims.
The media relations campaign generated more than 300 media mentions and more than 75 broadcast placements across more than 20 markets. A single interview with WSB-TV Atlanta syndicated to more than 25 cities—Seattle, Dayton, Orlando, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Boston and others—airing multiple times in each. The “Phantom Hacker” campaign alone drove a 1,300% month-over-month increase in media mentions.
High-profile coverage included U.S. News & World Report, Bankrate, Associated Press, Bank Automation News, FinAI News and Fox affiliates nationwide. Red Fan’s relationship-first media approach drove repeat engagements: U.S. News & World Report returned multiple times, Bankrate continues to feature Beguin’s commentary on its monthly “Best High-Yield Savings Accounts” roundup and FinAI News progressed from initial launch coverage to three feature articles, a podcast appearance and a speaking invitation for Beguin at their spring banking summit alongside executives from Valley Bank and MSUFCU.
Red Fan secured six analyst briefings where 30-minute sessions regularly extended to an hour as analysts engaged deeply with ACB’s fraud prevention approach—early validation that Fort Knox’s positioning resonated with sophisticated industry observers.
Erik Beguin was transformed from a largely unknown community bank CEO into one of banking’s definitive voices on fraud prevention, a transformation measured not in impressions but in influence.
Red Fan’s collaboration with Austin Capital Bank was named a finalist in the 2026 North America SABRE Awards for reputation management.
“Austin Capital Bank isn’t a typical community bank—we have a 50-person engineering team building products from the ground up. That means any communications partner needs to understand both the regulatory realities of banking and the product development mindset of a fintech. Red Fan got up to speed fast. They engaged credibly with our technical team, translated complex product capabilities into market-ready messaging and helped position Fort Knox in a way that resonated with analysts and media who cover fintech innovation. For a bank operating at the intersection of community banking and technology, finding that combination of expertise is rare.” — Bob Weinschenk, Fintech President, Austin Capital Bank