2024 Winner
GoldBest in Branded Content
GoldBest Use of Influencers
GoldBest in Video Platforms
SilverBest in Social
SilverBest in Finance and Services
SilverBest in Consumer Engagement
BMO
"Bills Paid On Time"
UM / MBCS / FCB
"Bills Paid On Time"
UM / MBCS / FCB
Gen Z has the fastest growing credit card debt of any generation. The last thing they needed was another credit card. As Gen Z begins to enter adulthood and make their own money, they’re faced with inflating prices and an unstable economy. Combined with entry-level salaries and gig economy paycheques, Gen Z are racking up more credit card debt than any other previous generation.
The BMO eclipse rise Visa Card is designed to reward users for using credit well: paying off their balance and paying their bills on time, reinforcing good financial habits.
As a brand-new product, the brand was looking to connect with their Gen Z target, engage their interest, and ultimately drive a lofty goal of a 50% increase in sign-ups for the card. But they needed to launch it in a way that would not only pique the interest of our Gen Z target, but also get good financial habits to stick.
Gen Z goes to TikTok for financial advice.
While young Canadians want to learn more about finance, they avoid engaging with banks, preferring to get financial advice from almost anywhere else, rather than go to a bank. The agency discovered that 76% of Gen Z actually look to TikTok to learn about finance, so they wanted to activate there, where they are, and on their terms. But with TikTok, it’s the music that sticks with them.
But simply launching on TikTok wasn’t enough. Their ambition was to help their target establish better financial habits. The brand wanted to get those good habits stuck in their heads. Research among TikTok users shows that if a brand uses a song that they like in the video, 68% of listeners remember the brand better, 58% feel a stronger connection to the brand, and 62% are more curious to learn more about the brand.
Armed with this knowledge, the strategic idea was born: the brand dropped the first TikTok track that acts as a reminder to pay your bills.
BMO partnered with viral TikTok sensation, bbno$ (otherwise known as “Baby No Money”, a Canadian artist), as the Gen Z ambassador to encourage good financial habits. Based on his 3.4MM followers and viral earworm fame with singles LaLaLa and Edamame, they knew bbno$ was perfect for the job, right down to his name.
To maximize impact within the media strategy, they tightly managed their brief to this unique creator to create content on multiple fronts to drive optimize engagement. They recorded a new, custom TikTok track, “Bills Paid On Time” with lyrics that touched on the experience of starting to make money and emphasized that paying bills on time is the key thing that will help you make
real financial progress.
The partnership and song were teased out days before the drop to get the TikTok algorithm working in our favour. The official drop came on a key bill paying date, January 31st, and was paired with a Topview Takeover, ensuring 100% of Canadians on TikTok that day would be exposed.
The campaign gave bbno$ creative control in order to maintain authenticity with their audience. With minimal branding, our audience engaged with their content as entertainment, instead of as an ad.
The authentic and unconventional engagement delivered uncommon advantage. While other financial institutions approach connections in standard ways, this unconventional media integration opened an entirely new approach to provide value to Gen Z. By giving bbno$ creative control and minimizing overt branding, the content felt endemic to TikTok, driving huge natural engagement and positive sentiment.
Another innovative approach for a bank, post-launch, we partnered with Community, the leading messaging and engagement platform, to send customized messages penned by bbno$ himself, to remind young Canadians to pay their bills, in-full and on-time. They prompted them to sign up for these text reminders through social channels, transforming media into a financial coach.
Finally, BMO sponsored bbno$’s charity music festival, bb’s bonanza, distributing sing-along lyrics printed onto beach balls, so that when bbno$ performs “Bills Paid On Time”, people would engage and be reminded to, well, pay their bills on time.
The bold, innovative and bona fide connection with Gen Z shattered expectations, delivering: Enormous business impact, more than doubling their goal.
“Bills Paid On Time” drove 129% of planned BMO eclipse rise sign-ups within the first month of launch and garnered a strong audience engagement that shattered benchmark.
The CTR on the music video was more than triple industry norms, the overall TikTok engagement rate was more than 9x benchmark and the overall Meta engagement rates was more than 14x benchmark.
Upon launching, the video saw 14MM views in the first 24 hours, and a top-charting song and most liked financial services ad on TikToK, which later grew to a major hit at 30MM views with
98% positive sentiment.
BMO not only exceeded the goal of a 50% increase in sign-ups, but in doing so, helped our Gen Z audience to establish better financial habits.
The BMO eclipse rise Visa Card is designed to reward users for using credit well: paying off their balance and paying their bills on time, reinforcing good financial habits.
As a brand-new product, the brand was looking to connect with their Gen Z target, engage their interest, and ultimately drive a lofty goal of a 50% increase in sign-ups for the card. But they needed to launch it in a way that would not only pique the interest of our Gen Z target, but also get good financial habits to stick.
Gen Z goes to TikTok for financial advice.
While young Canadians want to learn more about finance, they avoid engaging with banks, preferring to get financial advice from almost anywhere else, rather than go to a bank. The agency discovered that 76% of Gen Z actually look to TikTok to learn about finance, so they wanted to activate there, where they are, and on their terms. But with TikTok, it’s the music that sticks with them.
But simply launching on TikTok wasn’t enough. Their ambition was to help their target establish better financial habits. The brand wanted to get those good habits stuck in their heads. Research among TikTok users shows that if a brand uses a song that they like in the video, 68% of listeners remember the brand better, 58% feel a stronger connection to the brand, and 62% are more curious to learn more about the brand.
Armed with this knowledge, the strategic idea was born: the brand dropped the first TikTok track that acts as a reminder to pay your bills.
BMO partnered with viral TikTok sensation, bbno$ (otherwise known as “Baby No Money”, a Canadian artist), as the Gen Z ambassador to encourage good financial habits. Based on his 3.4MM followers and viral earworm fame with singles LaLaLa and Edamame, they knew bbno$ was perfect for the job, right down to his name.
To maximize impact within the media strategy, they tightly managed their brief to this unique creator to create content on multiple fronts to drive optimize engagement. They recorded a new, custom TikTok track, “Bills Paid On Time” with lyrics that touched on the experience of starting to make money and emphasized that paying bills on time is the key thing that will help you make
real financial progress.
The partnership and song were teased out days before the drop to get the TikTok algorithm working in our favour. The official drop came on a key bill paying date, January 31st, and was paired with a Topview Takeover, ensuring 100% of Canadians on TikTok that day would be exposed.
The campaign gave bbno$ creative control in order to maintain authenticity with their audience. With minimal branding, our audience engaged with their content as entertainment, instead of as an ad.
The authentic and unconventional engagement delivered uncommon advantage. While other financial institutions approach connections in standard ways, this unconventional media integration opened an entirely new approach to provide value to Gen Z. By giving bbno$ creative control and minimizing overt branding, the content felt endemic to TikTok, driving huge natural engagement and positive sentiment.
Another innovative approach for a bank, post-launch, we partnered with Community, the leading messaging and engagement platform, to send customized messages penned by bbno$ himself, to remind young Canadians to pay their bills, in-full and on-time. They prompted them to sign up for these text reminders through social channels, transforming media into a financial coach.
Finally, BMO sponsored bbno$’s charity music festival, bb’s bonanza, distributing sing-along lyrics printed onto beach balls, so that when bbno$ performs “Bills Paid On Time”, people would engage and be reminded to, well, pay their bills on time.
The bold, innovative and bona fide connection with Gen Z shattered expectations, delivering: Enormous business impact, more than doubling their goal.
“Bills Paid On Time” drove 129% of planned BMO eclipse rise sign-ups within the first month of launch and garnered a strong audience engagement that shattered benchmark.
The CTR on the music video was more than triple industry norms, the overall TikTok engagement rate was more than 9x benchmark and the overall Meta engagement rates was more than 14x benchmark.
Upon launching, the video saw 14MM views in the first 24 hours, and a top-charting song and most liked financial services ad on TikToK, which later grew to a major hit at 30MM views with
98% positive sentiment.
BMO not only exceeded the goal of a 50% increase in sign-ups, but in doing so, helped our Gen Z audience to establish better financial habits.
Credits
MEDIA AGENCY: UMRyan Hunter – Executive Vice President
Sarah Fraser – Senior Director, Connections Planning
Jack Williams – Manager, Connections Planning
Michael Medves – Planner, Connections Planning
Arturo Valenzuela – Director, Paid Social
Cristian Garrido – Account Manager, Paid Social
INFLUENCER MANAGEMENT & CONTENT STUDIO: Mediabrands Content Studio
Annelie Gutgesell – Director, Talent and Influencer Content
Grace Austin – Associate Director, Content
Melissa Hoffman – Manager Content Strategist
Mike Edgell – Creative Director
CLIENT: BMO
Michelle Feeney – CMO, Personal and Business Banking (North America)
Caspian Yu – Managing Director, Payments Marketing
Louise Adams – Senior Manager, Credit Card Marketing
Alfonsa Timpano – Senior Marketing Manager, Credit Card Acquisition
Jordan Woods – Senior Marketing Manager, Credit Card Acquisition
Naveed Khan – Marketing Coordinator, Credit Card Acquisition
Jenna Eager – Lead, Digital Acquisition
Cari Kosta – Senior Marketing Manager, Digital Acquisition
CREATIVE AGENCY: FCB
Nancy Crimi-Lamanna – Chief Creative Officer
Jennifer Rossini – Executive Creative Director
Angeline Parsons – Associate Creative Director, Copywriter
Eric Carriere – Associate Creative Director, Art Director
Logan Novak – Junior Art Director
Dawson Courson – Junior Copywriter
Shelley Brown – Chief Strategy Officer
Ally Dwyer-Joyce – Senior Strategist
Daisy Qin – Strategy Director, Content
Tracy Little – EVP, General Manager
Jessica Lax – VP, Client Service Lead
Samantha Ward – Group Account Director
Caiti Murray – Account Supervisor