discussion response

Discussion Thread: Disruptive Marketing

Riley Mefford

School of Business, Liberty University

Author Note

Riley Mefford.

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Riley Mefford. Email: [email protected].

My Disruptive Marketing Plan focused on expanding the Venmo Teen Account through a proposed Financial Literacy Hub. Venmo already gives teenagers ages 13 through 17 access to financial services while allowing a parent or guardian to remain connected to the account. My proposal was to build on that relationship by adding short financial lessons, personalized budgeting tools, savings goals, spending summaries, digital financial safety education, progress features, and parent-guided activities. The goal would be to reposition Venmo from primarily being a payment platform for teenagers into a financial development platform that helps young consumers learn how to manage money while they are actually using it. The disruptive element of the plan is the connection between financial education and real financial decisions. A teenager receiving a first paycheck could immediately receive guidance about dividing income between spending and saving, while a teenager creating a savings goal could learn about emergency funds, delayed gratification, and long-term planning. Instead of asking young consumers to learn about finances in one environment and then apply that information somewhere else, the Financial Literacy Hub would bring education and financial activity together. Sheridan et al. (2025) support this approach through their study of a nine-week financial literacy intervention involving adolescents. Their results showed increased financial knowledge across all nine lessons, demonstrating that structured financial education can improve what young people understand about money.

Target Market and Marketing Strategy

The primary target market for the Financial Literacy Hub would be teenagers ages 15 through 17 who are beginning to earn, spend, save, and independently manage money, including teenagers receiving their first paycheck, using direct deposit, saving for transportation or college, and developing greater financial independence. The secondary target market would be emerging adults ages 18 through 20. Extending the Financial Literacy Hub into early adulthood would allow Venmo to continue providing financial education as customers begin dealing with more advanced responsibilities such as credit, insurance, rent, debt, taxes, and emergency savings. The marketing mix would support accessibility and practical value by keeping the core Financial Literacy Hub free, distributing it primarily through the existing Venmo application, and promoting it around recognizable financial milestones such as creating a first budget, saving the first $100, planning a first paycheck, or recognizing a payment scam. Zhang and Liu (2025) strengthen this part of the plan through their study of 1,000 American adolescents ages 13 through 18. They found that financial education increased adolescents’ recognition of financial concerns and that this recognition contributed to greater awareness of long-term financial planning. The concerns identified included college costs, transportation, everyday spending, living expenses, investments, and saving for the future. Zhang and Liu (2025) also recommend interactive financial education that encourages adolescents to think about their own financial situations and financial decision-making, which directly supports the Financial Literacy Hub’s emphasis on connecting education to real financial experiences.

Key Learnings

One of my biggest takeaways from developing this plan was that disruptive marketing requires more than simply creating a new feature. The product, pricing, target market, promotion, customer experience, competition, and long-term relationship strategy must work together around a consistent value proposition. For Venmo, the strongest competitive advantage would not necessarily come from offering the largest number of financial lessons but from delivering useful education at moments when customers can immediately apply it. Another important learning involved the difference between providing information and creating actual customer capability. Netemeyer et al. (2024) found that financial education improved both objective and subjective financial knowledge and that subjective knowledge played an important role in translating education into positive financial behavior. This means a financial education program should do more than tell customers what they should know. It should also help them develop confidence in their ability to use that knowledge. For Venmo, success should therefore be measured through outcomes such as budgeting activity, savings-goal creation, financial confidence, digital safety awareness, responsible decision-making, customer satisfaction, and long-term engagement rather than simply increased transactions or application usage. The stronger relationship-marketing opportunity is to create enough genuine value during a customer’s early financial experiences that Venmo earns the opportunity to continue serving that customer into adulthood.

Biblical Integration

Biblical principles also provide guidance for how a company should market financial services to young consumers. Proverbs 11:1 states, “The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him” (New International Version Bible, 1978/2011, Proverbs 11:1), which emphasizes honesty and supports transparent communication concerning fees, privacy, parental controls, product limitations, and financial risks. Financial education should never become a disguised method of encouraging teenagers to spend more money. Philippians 2:3–4 teaches believers to avoid selfish ambition and to consider the interests of others (New International Version Bible, 1978/2011, Philippians 2:3–4). Applied to the Financial Literacy Hub, this means Venmo should consider the financial well-being of young customers when designing educational content, behavioral prompts, and promotional strategies rather than viewing customers simply as future sources of revenue. Proverbs 22:1 states that “A good name is more desirable than great riches” (New International Version Bible, 1978/2011, Proverbs 22:1), reinforcing the importance of trust when a company is providing financial services to teenagers and families. Venmo could protect its reputation by prioritizing privacy, responsible product design, accurate information, customer welfare, and honest communication.

Conclusion

The Venmo Financial Literacy Hub would disrupt the traditional role of a youth payment account by combining financial access with practical education. The plan would help teenagers move from simply using money to understanding how to manage it. Research from Sheridan et al. (2025), Netemeyer et al. (2024), and Zhang and Liu (2025) supports the importance of structured financial education, financial confidence, and early awareness of real financial concerns. The biggest lesson from developing this plan is that disruptive marketing should create meaningful customer value rather than novelty alone. If Venmo can help young consumers make better financial decisions while earning their trust, the Financial Literacy Hub could strengthen both customer financial capability and Venmo’s long-term customer relationships.

References

Netemeyer, R. G., Lynch, J. G., Jr., Lichtenstein, D. R., & Dobolyi, D. (2024). Financial education effects on financial behavior and well-being: The mediating roles of improved objective and subjective financial knowledge and parallels in physical health. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 43(4), 254–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/07439156241228197

New International Version Bible. (2011). Biblica. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Internat... (Original work published 1978).

Sheridan, D. J., Anderson, A. N., Rapp, J. T., & Baker, A. (2025). Teaching justice-involved adolescents basic financial literacy skills: A preliminary investigation. Behavior and Social Issues, 34(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-024-00188-z

Zhang, Y., & Liu, Z. (2025). Understanding retirement awareness in US adolescents through financial education and financial concerns. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 43(10), 2091-2111. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-08-2024-0520

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