Who: British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) with Wasserman for creative and media, NorthKamp for video production, PostPro Media on post-production, and Vapor Music for audio production.

What: “Evasive maneuvers,” an advertising campaign to get British Columbians more comfortable with the idea of investing being essential to personal financial planning.

When & Where: The creative is running across B.C. until Feb. 28 on TV, radio and digital—including video, social, banners and native content.

Why: The campaign is intended to deliver the message that investing shouldn’t be scary, and the BCSC is there to help.

BCSC research shows that nearly half of British Columbians are anxious about losing money through investing. “They feel anxious and overwhelmed about what they don’t know, and stressed about the complexity of the information,” said Wasserman president Stefan Hawes. “So, they avoid the topic any way they can.”

How: With humour. Creative presents exaggerated scenarios of people avoiding conversations about investing because of their own discomfort with the topic. “Humour breaks down barriers… When you recognize the silly in something, you see it in a different light,” said Hawes. “That’s the first step toward shifting attitudes.”

The advertising directs viewers/listeners to the BCSC.ca website, which includes a library of resources and information about investment options, risk tolerance and fraud protection. There’s also a series of 11 short “Get started with investing” videos, as well as interactive tools and articles.

And we quote: “If you’re feeling intimidated or stressed about investing, you aren’t alone – anxiety is one of the main barriers people face when making investment decisions. But the British Columbia Securities Commission is here to help.”— Pamela McDonald, BCSC’s director of communications and education