PC Financial has thrown a twist into its latest advertising to promote its new premium credit card.
The new spot, created by Sid Lee, takes something of a meta approach to the interview format the bank has used in its past marketing, with slightly jealous neighbours peeking in to a commercial shoot to overhear the benefits of PC Financial’s new World Elite MasterCard.
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While Sid Lee has worked with PC Financial for a number of years, this is the first time it has been tasked with promoting a new product from the bank, having previously focused on existing offerings.
“The whole ‘good banking’ platform is based on the notion that this is a bank that is in your grocery store, for a target that wanted all the good things about banking without the unnecessary stuff,” says Dustin Rideout, VP of strategy at Sid Lee. “So the messages we put out there show, very clearly, what the benefits are, and this is a continuation of that. Consumers don’t need to be inundated with details around a product, you can land a really succinct, simple message and still have fun with it.”
While the World Elite MasterCard is a premium product, it comes without the annual fees many consumers might expect. Rideout says early testing showed consumers saw a no-fee premium credit card as being unique not only to the bank, but in the marketplace as a whole.
“We saw this as something we could really promote and advocate for, especially given the platform we’ve set up,” he says. “The interview device is one we’ve always used. But this gave it a new dimension, and because it was a new product, we wanted to give a slight twist and wink to that.”
The broader campaign features a large digital buy, sponsored content and in-store promotions at Loblaw’s locations.
“One of the advantages to PC Financial is you bank where you shop, so in-store communications is very important to the brand,” Rideout says. “Because the card is premium, a lot of the in-store communication is using the black, bold messaging we know consumers already associate with premium cards.”
