You Need A Budget (YNAB) is a personal finance app and education platform built around a simple method: give every dollar a job.
For students navigating scholarships, part-time work, and first-time financial independence, YNAB’s “Free for Students” program removes cost as a barrier and positions YNAB as an everyday system for real-life spending decisions (groceries, gas, rent, books).
How YNAB increased student awareness 214% better than industry average
342k+
impressions
6.5%
engagement rate
214%
better than industry avg
The Brand
The challenge
Reaching college students with financial products is hard:
• Low trust + high skepticism: “finance advice” often feels preachy or out of touch
• Short attention windows: students scroll fast; brand messaging must be immediate and relatable
• Authenticity requirement: students respond to peers and real stories more than polished ads
YNAB needed a way to show up in student feeds with content that felt real, useful, and culturally aligned to increase adoption of their app.
• Low trust + high skepticism: “finance advice” often feels preachy or out of touch
• Short attention windows: students scroll fast; brand messaging must be immediate and relatable
• Authenticity requirement: students respond to peers and real stories more than polished ads
YNAB needed a way to show up in student feeds with content that felt real, useful, and culturally aligned to increase adoption of their app.
The ask: paid social activation
YNAB partnered with MOGL to leverage NIL athletes for activation and deliver:
1. Position YNAB as the must-have money app for student life
2. Generate large-scale, engaging UGC from NIL athletes
3. Build a reusable content library for repurposing on YNAB’s owned (and potentially paid) channels
4. Launch during a moment when habits reset (New Year) to maximize relevance
Primary audience: U.S. college students / student-athletes (18–24)
1. Position YNAB as the must-have money app for student life
2. Generate large-scale, engaging UGC from NIL athletes
3. Build a reusable content library for repurposing on YNAB’s owned (and potentially paid) channels
4. Launch during a moment when habits reset (New Year) to maximize relevance
Primary audience: U.S. college students / student-athletes (18–24)
The Solution
MOGL created an end-to-end NIL creator program targeted at college audiences built for consistency, safety, and repeatability - using athlete-led “real life money” storytelling at scale.
Program structure
• 45 collegiate athletes (nano, micro, mid-tier) across multiple sports/markets
• Deliverables: 1× Instagram Reel + 1× Instagram Story per athlete (90 total assets)
• Creative approach: Authentic athlete storytelling detailing budgeting use cases + student-life moments while highlighting app features
• Operations & compliance: structured briefing, submission monitoring, NCAA disclosures, and brand-safety guidelines
MOGL value add
• Talent sourcing, vetting, and selection
• Creative briefing + concept development
• Deliverable coordination + communication
• Content tracking + quality control
• Asset delivery + performance reporting
Program structure
• 45 collegiate athletes (nano, micro, mid-tier) across multiple sports/markets
• Deliverables: 1× Instagram Reel + 1× Instagram Story per athlete (90 total assets)
• Creative approach: Authentic athlete storytelling detailing budgeting use cases + student-life moments while highlighting app features
• Operations & compliance: structured briefing, submission monitoring, NCAA disclosures, and brand-safety guidelines
MOGL value add
• Talent sourcing, vetting, and selection
• Creative briefing + concept development
• Deliverable coordination + communication
• Content tracking + quality control
• Asset delivery + performance reporting
The Results
The campaign built awareness amongst YNAB’s target audiences (18-24 year olds) while delivering exceptional engagement efficiency for Instagram Reels, with above-benchmark engagement and a re-usable UGC libraryPaid media delivery outperformed benchmark efficiency for women 18–40 in a saturated wellness category: The campaign efficiently balanced organic trust and paid performance, resulting in high engagement and meaningful brand awareness.
