2023 Winner
GoldBest in Audio Platforms
GoldBest in Finance and Services
Interac
"Sound Shopping"
Zulu Alpha Kilo / Media Experts
"Sound Shopping"
Zulu Alpha Kilo / Media Experts
It’s never been more challenging to establish good spending habits as a young adult. A study by a major Canadian bank found that nearly half of Millennials are more concerned about money matters since the onset of the pandemic.
Interac has always advocated for healthy financial behaviour. By enabling people to spend their own money, it encourages the kinds of decisions that leave people feeling in control of their finances. Recognizing the impact of today’s economically challenging times on young Canadians, Interac wanted to explore novel ways to help that group deal with financial pressures.
How could they help younger Millennials develop a more mindful approach to spending?
They focused on retail environments, the site of most impulse shopping. Most retailers are carefully curated environments that activate different senses – sight, sound and even scent – that encourage specific shopping behaviour.
Research into the effect of music led to their insight. Research shows that slow music encourages slower browsing while sad songs increase grocery basket sizes. If music can make you spend more than you intend, could it be used to encourage shopping restraint?
While Interac couldn’t change the prices on the shelf, they could develop a tool that might help Millennials manage their shopping behavior and make better financial decisions.
“Sound Shopping” is a music track and behavioral study designed to help Canadians shop more intentionally. Drawing on the same research retailers use to design in-store soundscapes, the track uses tempo, mode, and instrumentation to interrupt automatic shopping behavior that
can dominate in-store.
The media strategy of “Sound Shopping” was unique challenge. Their task was more similar to launching a single and research study than brand campaign. That meant focusing on sound-on environments to generate interest in the track while a broad earned media push connected Interac thought leaders with science, tech and business outlets.
Their media strategy had three primary tasks. Firstly to introduce – raise awareness of the track and the research that Interac is doing around sound and how it can impact spending habits. Media channels included YouTube for action and native advertising. Tapping into timely stories about inflation, they made Interac experts available to tech, music and even business publications to talk about their research findings.
Then to amplify – real Canadians who had experienced the program became their voice on social. Sound-on assets on TikTok and Meta used social proof to encourage trial among Millennial Canadians.
Finally to captivate – they intercepted people in real-time shopping moments to drive them to listen to the track directly on Spotify. They used Spotify ads in combination with in-mall posters, featuring a scannable QR code – targeting their audience in the prime environment for track use.
They took the unusual approach of borrowing from music industry tactics to promote a payment brand. Treating Interac like an artist releasing a new single, they heavily promoted the track on Spotify and Soundcloud. An emphasis on sound-first channels like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube for Action (unusual in a category that typically designs for sound-off environments) helped drive
interest in this track.
Over 46,000 Canadians have visited for the “Sound Shopping” experience on Interac.ca. Visitors spent three minutes on average with the experience which was a 46% increase in the Interac site norm.
TikTok view-through rates were three times the average for the platform and clickthrough rates were double the norm, showing that their audience was engaged with their message.
The initiative earned over 15 million impressions across 65 press mentions, including the Toronto Star, Yahoo Finance, and The Globe and Mail, positioning Interac as an innovator and problem-solver for inflation-weary Millennials. Rob Carrick, a popular financial columnist at The Globe and Mail, featured Interac in a dedicated article titled “Interac now has mellow music for the inflation-weary”, while the Toronto Star featured the track as one of “Three ways to take control and get more
mindful about your money”.
Through a research study evaluating the track’s effectiveness, they placed “Sound Shopping” in the hands of real Canadians (with a control group given a track of typical music found in stores).
Participants in their core target of 25 to 34 were likely to spend 38% less when listening to the curated track. Additionally, there was a 98% shopper satisfaction rate for those who listened to the track.
Interac has always advocated for healthy financial behaviour. By enabling people to spend their own money, it encourages the kinds of decisions that leave people feeling in control of their finances. Recognizing the impact of today’s economically challenging times on young Canadians, Interac wanted to explore novel ways to help that group deal with financial pressures.
How could they help younger Millennials develop a more mindful approach to spending?
They focused on retail environments, the site of most impulse shopping. Most retailers are carefully curated environments that activate different senses – sight, sound and even scent – that encourage specific shopping behaviour.
Research into the effect of music led to their insight. Research shows that slow music encourages slower browsing while sad songs increase grocery basket sizes. If music can make you spend more than you intend, could it be used to encourage shopping restraint?
While Interac couldn’t change the prices on the shelf, they could develop a tool that might help Millennials manage their shopping behavior and make better financial decisions.
“Sound Shopping” is a music track and behavioral study designed to help Canadians shop more intentionally. Drawing on the same research retailers use to design in-store soundscapes, the track uses tempo, mode, and instrumentation to interrupt automatic shopping behavior that
can dominate in-store.
The media strategy of “Sound Shopping” was unique challenge. Their task was more similar to launching a single and research study than brand campaign. That meant focusing on sound-on environments to generate interest in the track while a broad earned media push connected Interac thought leaders with science, tech and business outlets.
Their media strategy had three primary tasks. Firstly to introduce – raise awareness of the track and the research that Interac is doing around sound and how it can impact spending habits. Media channels included YouTube for action and native advertising. Tapping into timely stories about inflation, they made Interac experts available to tech, music and even business publications to talk about their research findings.
Then to amplify – real Canadians who had experienced the program became their voice on social. Sound-on assets on TikTok and Meta used social proof to encourage trial among Millennial Canadians.
Finally to captivate – they intercepted people in real-time shopping moments to drive them to listen to the track directly on Spotify. They used Spotify ads in combination with in-mall posters, featuring a scannable QR code – targeting their audience in the prime environment for track use.
They took the unusual approach of borrowing from music industry tactics to promote a payment brand. Treating Interac like an artist releasing a new single, they heavily promoted the track on Spotify and Soundcloud. An emphasis on sound-first channels like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube for Action (unusual in a category that typically designs for sound-off environments) helped drive
interest in this track.
Over 46,000 Canadians have visited for the “Sound Shopping” experience on Interac.ca. Visitors spent three minutes on average with the experience which was a 46% increase in the Interac site norm.
TikTok view-through rates were three times the average for the platform and clickthrough rates were double the norm, showing that their audience was engaged with their message.
The initiative earned over 15 million impressions across 65 press mentions, including the Toronto Star, Yahoo Finance, and The Globe and Mail, positioning Interac as an innovator and problem-solver for inflation-weary Millennials. Rob Carrick, a popular financial columnist at The Globe and Mail, featured Interac in a dedicated article titled “Interac now has mellow music for the inflation-weary”, while the Toronto Star featured the track as one of “Three ways to take control and get more
mindful about your money”.
Through a research study evaluating the track’s effectiveness, they placed “Sound Shopping” in the hands of real Canadians (with a control group given a track of typical music found in stores).
Participants in their core target of 25 to 34 were likely to spend 38% less when listening to the curated track. Additionally, there was a 98% shopper satisfaction rate for those who listened to the track.
Credits
Agency: Zulu Alpha KiloChief Creative Officer: Zak Mroueh
Executive Creative Director: Wain Choi
Associate Creative Director/Art Director: Michael Romaniuk
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: Marco Buchar
Design Director/Designer: Jeff Watkins
Designer: Ana-Marija Vlahovic
Account Team: Alyssa Guttman, Sasha Dan
Strategy Director: Spencer MacEachern, Patrick Henderson
Media Agency: Media Experts
Media Team: Mackenzie McNevin, Denise Lum, Keaton Dale
Client: Interac Corp.
Clients: Andrea Danovitch, Matt Houghton, Meghan Jeffery, Rachel Kellogg, Kenny Johnston, Matt Beck, Assaf Isaac
PR Agency: Hill+Knowlton Strategies
PR Team: Cillian Murphy, Blaine Mackie, Kaleigh Ambrose, Aimee Legault
Sonic Branding Agency: Sixième Son
French Agency: The French Shop
Producer: Ola Stodulska, Houng Ngui
Production House: Zulubot
Head of Production: Adam Palmer
Zulubot Producers: Colleen Allen
Director: Sean Deakin
Post Production Company: Zulubot
Zulubot Post Producers: Sarah Dayus, Ben Bentivegna
Editor: Jessie Posthumus
Audio: Noah Mroueh