Who: Simplii Financial, with Broken Heart Love Affair for strategy and creative, MediaCom for media.
What: “Simple Mathematics,” a campaign promoting a limited-time offer in which Simplii is giving $350 to anyone who opens a no-fee chequing account. It is Broken Heart Love Affair’s first campaign for Simplii since winning the assignment late last year.
When & Where: The campaign is in market now, running through September using a combination of video, radio, OOH and social.
Why: The campaign is designed to drive new accounts for the financial services brand in a way that reflects its “client-centric” philosophy, said Simplii’s director of brand marketing, Christy Clem.
“Simplii is an ambitious brand with a client-first philosophy, and we chose this direction to be more breakthrough in the market and connect with consumers in a way Simplii hadn’t done previously,” said BHLA’s chief creative officer, Carlos Moreno. “Good brands should be able to stretch their tone and approach when appropriate, and not sound exactly the same all the time.”
How: The campaign is led by a video spot featuring a bowtie-wearing spokesperson who informs viewers of the Simplii offer by juxtaposing it with far worse ways to earn $350—such as babysitting a sibling’s septuplets for $50 each, wallpapering 350 square feet of wall at $1 per square foot, or fixing 10 toilets at $35 each.
Radio ads continue the theme, with a series of ads featuring the announcer contrasting the simplicity of earning $350 by opening a Simplii account with the difficulty of bird-sitting 35 birds at $10 a bird, disposing of 10 hornets nests at $35 each, or taste testing 50 soups at $7 per soup.
“We think that humour definitely has a place in financial work, especially with a simple and compelling offer like this one,” said Moreno. “It’s not about daunting, life-changing financial decisions, so there’s no reason for it to be super serious.”
And we quote: “As a brand that prides itself on having innovative products, we wanted to find a unique way to show how easy it is to get $350. Broken Heart Love Affair came with something impactful and cheeky that we loved.” —Christy Clem, senior director, Simplii Financial brand marketing.
