Who: HSBC Bank Canada, with Toronto's Us Communications for strategy and creative; Touché for media.
What: "Meet Money," a campaign promoting what Michelle Ching, HSBC's head of marketing, wealth and personal banking, described as a "shock and awe" GIC rate.
When & Where: The campaign first appeared in October, with a promotion for HSBC's high-rate savings account, but the new ads, promoting the bank's GIC products, debuted during HSBC's sponsorship of Sunday's Golden Globes— with spots appearing throughout the three-hour telecast. Additional campaign elements include online video, digital out-of-home, digital banners, social, and radio.
What: "Meet Money," a campaign promoting what Michelle Ching, HSBC's head of marketing, wealth and personal banking, described as a "shock and awe" GIC rate.
When & Where: The campaign first appeared in October, with a promotion for HSBC's high-rate savings account, but the new ads, promoting the bank's GIC products, debuted during HSBC's sponsorship of Sunday's Golden Globes— with spots appearing throughout the three-hour telecast. Additional campaign elements include online video, digital out-of-home, digital banners, social, and radio.
Ching said that the integrated campaign is intended to establish HSBC's presence at every stage of the purchase funnel. "There isn’t one particular tactic that outshines the rest," she said. "It’s about how the tactics can work hand-in-hand, to create a great customer experience."
Why: According to Ching, the campaign is an attempt to "demystify" GICs by personifying money and showing the result of partnering with HSBC—your money working hard for you.
"Our creative thinking stemmed from the desire to create a campaign that would not only capture people’s attention but also connect on a personal and emotional level," she said. "We wanted to make the topic of 'boring' finances relatable and fun rather than just another piece of jargon—like GICs, deposits etc."
How: The campaign's 30-second anchor spot depicts Money as a man who is literally working hard for HSBC customers. The spot opens on Money, who is unmissable thanks to a suit made of gold coins, assembling a crib in a child's bedroom. "Before this, I was remodelling the kitchen for 12 hours," he tells the camera. "It all started when they met with HSBC bank... I don't know what it is. I can't stop working hard."
The couple then enters and asks if Money can do them a "teensy-weensy" favour by retiling the bathroom and installing the home theatre, since they're going out for taco Tuesday.
By personifying Money, HSBC is attempting to humanize finances and turn money into a "relatable character" that Canadians can understand and connect with, said Ching. "No matter who you are, we all want our money to grow, to work hard for us."
A Golden (Globes) opportunity: Ching said that the Golden Globes presented perfect alignment with HSBC's gold-suited mascot. "We honestly can’t think of a better way to launch our idea than making an appearance on the Golden Globes," she said. "A golden suit. A golden money idea. A golden moment on the Golden Globes. A golden opportunity to open up a world of opportunities for our clients."
And we quote: "Marketing should infuse creativity into every strategy, shattering conventional notions to break through the clutter and make memorable impression. With this campaign specifically, we set out to demystify GICs by personifying money and showing the result—money working hard." —Michelle Ching, head of marketing, wealth and personal banking, HSBC Bank Canada
