Who: CIBC, with Courage for strategy and creative, along with Oliver for digital, OOH, social, and radio; Spy Films for production (directed by Omri Cohen); Nimiopere and Alter Ego for post production; Vapor Music for audio; and MediaCom for media.
What: A campaign promoting CIBC Global Money Transfer, the bank’s zero cost money transfer service. It shows how the money saved by not paying a fee can have a big impact for customers’ loved ones in other countries.
When & Where: The campaign consists of two different spots, one as a 60-second and the other 45-seconds, and cutdowns across TV and OLV, supported by radio, social and out of home.
Why: The bank asked Courage for a campaign promoting its zero-fee money transfer service, which is a relatively low-cost service—RBC charges $6 to $10 for transfers, for example.
But Courage landed on an insight that would make the creative effective both as a tactical spot for a very specific audience (people who regularly send money overseas, mostly first-generation Canadians), that could also have a halo effect among a much larger audience.
Courage wanted to show how small savings can have a big impact for families back in countries like India and the Philippines.
“It was a very functional brief—we need to do something for this very specific service that [CIBC] provides,” said co-founder and chief creative officer, Dhaval Bhatt. “But it actually presented a great opportunity in finding the emotional connection to that service to actually do a broader play.”
When you find that emotional connection to the service, and the creative shows the benefits of that service in a way that resonates with people beyond the core target, it becomes not just about the service or that specific audience, but about CIBC helping people enjoy life just a little more.
“It’s pretty simple, you know, we generally enjoy something that is honest and earnest—watching people have a good time feels good,” said Bhatt.
How: The two anchor TV spots both open with a super explaining that CIBC does not charge a fee for international money transfers, followed by a new Canadian clicking “send” on a transfer. The spots then show the family back in the sender’s home country, enjoying some of the many happy moments made possible by the money they’ve received.
Canada has massive immigrant communities, particularly Filipino and South Asian, said Bhatt. “And they just don’t feel seen in our mainstream ads.”
Sharing honest, recognizable moments helps CIBC achieve greater resonance with people from those countries.
“Being a Filipina in Canada, with the majority of my family living in the Philippines, I know from personal experience what it truly means to be able to send money to loved ones back home,” said Courage creative director Cindy Marie Navarro, in a release. “Sending money means so much more than just money. You’re sending love, and that’s what this campaign is all about.”
It was personal… Bhatt grew up in Mumbai, where the India spot was shot, and Navarro is from the Philippines. But they aren’t the only people with international perspectives who are shaping the creative and strategic thinking at Courage.
“I truly believe this idea doesn’t happen unless someone that actually does this says, ‘I’m not just sending money I’m actually sending love,'” said Bhatt. “I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing team that comes from different places and from different backgrounds, because you don’t get to these insights without that.”
And we quote: “We know that sending money to loved ones back home is far more than just financial help, it’s a proud way to show care, gratitude, and love to those we miss. We loved this work because it tells the story often not heard behind many money transfers, and captures how CIBC [Global Money Transfer] is helping make clients’ ambitions a reality.”— Tammy Sadinsky, senior vice-president of brand and marketing, CIBC
