Who: Scotiabank, with Rethink for strategy and creative; OPC for production (directed by Bianca Poletti); Alter Ego for post; Vapor for music; PHD for media.
What: “Intrusive Thoughts,” a campaign focused on the bank’s investments business that urges Canadians to enjoy life while enlisting a Scotia advisor to help them achieve their financial goals.
What: “Intrusive Thoughts,” a campaign focused on the bank’s investments business that urges Canadians to enjoy life while enlisting a Scotia advisor to help them achieve their financial goals.
When & Where: The campaign is anchored by a 30-second spot (with 15-second cutdowns) that went live on digital in December, before expanding into mass media in January with a mix of TV and radio, supported by digital, social and digital OOH in both official languages.
Why: The bank’s goal is to alleviate the stress many Canadians feel around their finances—while, of course, convincing them to come in and speak with a Scotiabank advisor about their ambitions and how they can invest to make those dreams a reality.
“We know that amid money and financial stressors, many Canadians are worried about reaching their future financial goals,” explained John Rocco, VP of global brand management with the bank. “We want to help Canadians enjoy their ‘today’ by helping them feel secure about ‘tomorrow.’”
The campaign aims to counter the “uncertainty” and “doom and gloom” of today's financial headlines by directly addressing the worries that crop up in the day-to-day lives of real Canadians, preventing them from enjoying everyday moments.
“Investing can be an antidote to that, to feel more secure about achieving short- and long-term financial goals, like saving for family vacations, covering school tuition, owning a home or investing for retirement,” said Crystal Sales, group strategy director at Rethink.
How: The bank is “committed to leading with empathy and prioritizing real, tailored advice for Canadians in a campaign that feels relatable and optimistic,” said Curtis Ferrera, global chief marketing officer for Scotiabank.
To help Scotiabank achieve that goal, Rethink envisioned a scenario where someone is meant to be grounded in the moment, but is quickly sidetracked by the titular “Intrusive Thoughts.” The agency chose a woman participating in a yoga session, whose efforts at mindfulness are quickly derailed when she starts thinking about her budget, wallet and money.
The woman interprets the instructor's directions through the lens of her personal finances. "Imagine a happy place. Sunny, warm... out of budget," she imagines the instructor saying at one point. Later, the instructor says "Money comes in... and money goes out. In. Out." The spot closes with the super "worrying about tomorrow shouldn't cost you today."
“While the spot is comedic, we didn’t want it to feel slapstick,” said copywriter Jenai Kershaw. “It was important to us that the situation felt rooted in reality, and that the humour came through from a situation that we’ve all been in.”
And we quote: “We set out to make something that felt aspirational, without being overly stylized. We found a beautiful, architectural space to create our yoga studio that felt fresh and unexpected. Playing with unconventional angles helped us build intensity." —Michelle Spivak, group creative director, Rethink
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