It was a struggle to find four outstanding RSP campaigns. Words that came up to describe this year’s pool? ‘Meagre,’ ‘false’ and ‘irrelevant,’ to name a few. Below are the shining stars that not only engaged consumers with relevance, but believability too. And one that didn’t.

Scotiabank: no pesky details

Scotiabank continues its refreshingly focused ”Richer-than-you-think’ campaign. In its RSP spot it just tells people to bring all their money to Scotiabank and stop worrying about all those pesky details, like who’s going to actually grow your savings.

Michael Würstlin, founder, Würstlingroup, Toronto

TD: fast times

The bouncing ball for TD Canada Trust gets across one message very well – ‘it’s fast in there.’ You get the feeling everything’s done simply there. You can decide what to do with the RRSP thing down the road, meanwhile your game awaits.

Alvin Wasserman, partner, Wasserman & Partners, Vancouver

BMO: What’s Next?

BMO’s ‘What’s Next?’ ad with the surprise wedding toast. It has great stopping power, engages you with a question, and offers a compelling promise – achieving dreams. Its online tool is great too – it helps you answer ‘What’s Next?’ and draws you further into the brand.

Nancy Helstab, managing director, BrandEdge, Toronto

ING: Say yes

ING Direct’s ‘Say Yes to RSP’s that Grow.’ I love its irreverent nature. It’s a perfect fit with the ING brand – benefit and attitude-wise – is believable, and appeals to today’s cautious investor mind-set. Try out its online graffiti.

Nancy Helstab, managing director, BrandEdge, Toronto

CIBC: Tuscany or Provence?

There’s such rich emotion there to work with, but unfortunately, most of the banks and fund companies resort to smug, smiling, faces trying to decide, as CIBC puts it in its TV ad: ‘between Tuscany or Provence.’

Angus Tucker, partner/CD, John St., Toronto