WELCOME TO METROPULSE.NET
The integration of hyperlocal community media with digital banking represents a fundamental evolution in how financial institutions can create value for customers while building sustainable competitive advantages in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
The Metro Pulse® platform offers a proven framework for transforming transactional banking relationships into meaningful community partnerships that drive measurable business results through enhanced customer engagement, improved retention rates, and expanded revenue opportunities.
AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR
Comprehensive Implementation Framework
SEEING THE OPPORTUNITY
As I, Michael E. Dehn, reposition myself within the banking sector—at a time when many peers are retiring—I have taken the opportunity to honestly assess my motivations, goals, and strategic direction.
Since founding Metro Pulse® 45 years ago, I have witnessed unprecedented changes in the media landscape. The rise of the Internet, Google, Meta, and other tech giants has disrupted traditional media revenue streams, leading to the emergence of alternative news sources such as podcasts and social media influencers. This, combined with increasing political bias in mainstream outlets, has resulted in a fragmented and polarized media environment.
With a family legacy rooted in journalism—my father spent 28 years at the Chicago Tribune—I am deeply committed to the principles of credible news. The decline of mainstream media, exacerbated by venture capital firms dismantling legacy newsrooms and the siphoning of advertising revenue by Big Tech, has left hyperlocal media in a precarious position.
Despite these challenges, I see significant opportunity.
A SHIFT IN MINDSET
My entrepreneurial background—including the unique experience of managing the sale of 80,000 tickets for the canceled 1980 Led Zeppelin concert at Chicago Stadium—has equipped me with the skills to innovate in this space. This experience, coupled with insights from the financial sector, has inspired me to develop new business models that support local media while facilitating branded, community-focused banking services.
My journey into bank marketing began nearly a decade ago, sparked by a conversation with a local bank manager frustrated by outdated marketing tools. This encounter led to the conception of a platform that integrates my media expertise with banking and fostering community engagement propelling growth and goodwill.
Watch Michael E. Dehn discuss the Metro Pulse® Ecosystem in this in depth video podcast.
Learn more about Dehn, his Led Zeppelin Project and the origins of Metro Pulse®
Read more about Michael E. Dehn by in his extensive bio.
Transitioning into banking required a significant shift in mindset, given the industry’s regulatory environment. Years of research and adaptation have prepared me for this challenge. I am grateful to industry leaders like Jim Marous (The Financial Brand) and Ron Shevlin (Snark Tank) for their invaluable insights, which have greatly informed my approach.
THE NEW ERA
Though my background is in media, event ticketing, and rock ‘n roll memorabilia, I am uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between media and banking. I believe the future of local media lies in innovative partnerships with financial institutions, supported by sustainable business models. Metropulse.com, my flagship platform, continues to serve as a quality, ad-free news aggregator with a dedicated following.
Welcome to the new era.
– Michael E. Dehn
The Framework
A comprehensive implementation of the Metro Pulse Media Ecosystem
Click button above to download a pdf of the Metropulse Media Ecosystem Framework.
THE METRO PULSE®
Media Ecosystem
Our “media ecosystem” is an interconnected network of various companies that collectively produce, distribute, and monetize content across different platforms. This dynamic system includes traditional media outlets, digital publishers, streaming services, social media platforms and more.
The Metro Pulse Media Ecosystem is designed as a one-stop onboarding entry point for your customers to engage with your digital banking products and apps. It offers your digital customer base a more robust and effective method to interact, as a community, in a digital banking interface. It also offers on a non-transactional level with branded localized pertinent curated sticky content.
The Metro Pulse Media Ecosystem consists of these five trademarked and branded community portal platforms are designed as customer acquisition and customer retention tools.
- These platforms would engage your current and potential clients in targeted hyperlocal environments via both existing and future banking apps.
- It allows for the intuition in those communities to engage in activities that provide a more effective base to pitch embedded finance products and services.
- It would allow for daily branded content to be disseminated by curated content and generative and agentic AI.
Active Memories®
Metro Pulse Today®
Metro Pulse®
Ticket Pulse®
Metro Tax®
We built these platforms separately, but now we realize over the course of many years that we accidentally constructed the most sophisticated hyperlocal community banking engagement platform ever conceived.
this represents the first integrated hyperlocal community intelligence and engagement ecosystem designed specifically for financial institutions.
1. Non-Transactional Entry Points: Banks struggle with community engagement because they always end up talking about loans and deposits. Our platforms let them be present at graduations, concerts, tax season, and local news without being “salesy.”
2. Emotional Brand Architecture: Instead of “First National Bank sponsors the high school football team,” it becomes “First National Bank helped preserve your daughter’s championship moment forever.” The emotional connection is exponentially stronger.
3. Predictive Intelligence: The combined data streams create something no bank has ever had – advance warning of life events that create financial needs. Customers are not just reacting to loan applications; we are allowing to predict them months ahead.
4. Compliance-Friendly Monetization: Banks can’t cold-call or spam, but they can sponsor community preservation, support local events, and provide valuable tax information. Your ecosystem creates compliant paths to customer engagement.