Interac has launched a new holiday-themed extension of its “InLife” brand platform that once again taps into its core message of responsible spending while promoting shop-local efforts.

The campaign, called “HolidayLife,” was developed with Toronto agency Zulu Alpha Kilo and is running across TV, OLV, social and OOH.

The campaign hinges on a 30-second TV spot with shorter online cutdowns that showcase a woman who is attempting to bring her family together for a holiday photo. After the shot is taken, she uses Interac’s e-Transfer service to pay the photographer – representative of local businesses that have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.

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“It was important for us to show Canadians in control of their money and choosing to support small business,” says William Keliehor, chief commercial officer at Interac. “As communities reconnect this holiday season, we each have the power to support more localized economic recovery through our purchases.”

“We wanted to build on the personal storytelling we launched this spring, while adding a bit of humour to get Canadians thinking about the role Interac can play in enabling them to stay in control of their money as they pay for holiday purchases and expenses,” adds Wain Choi, ECD at Zulu.

To support the campaign and further reinforce the shop-local message, Interac is activating at Toronto’s Distillery Winter Village, the Vancouver Christmas Market and Noël Montréal.

Those activations will take different forms. In Toronto, it will provide gift-wrapping services to attendees who make their purchases using Interac Debit; in Vancouver, Interac is picking up the tab for rides on the HolidayLife Carousel; and, in Montreal, it will provide holiday treats at the HolidayLife Fire Pit and “Ho Ho Ho Airstream,” a vehicle that calls back to the adventurous goals shown at the launch of “InLife.”

In addition, Interac is soliciting donations at all three Christmas markets to the Salvation Army, as well as the SickKids Foundation (in Toronto), Make-A-Wish Foundation (Vancouver and Montreal) and Project10 (Montreal) through its debit contactless payment offering. The brand will match donations up to a total of $25,000 in each location, for a national total of $75,000.

The campaign will run until Dec. 31. Media Experts handled the buy.