CIBC is using its logo as a portal to render the transformative idea of its “Ambitions Made Real” brand positioning.
Two hero spots feature two individuals at the beginning and end of their financial journeys: one an entrepreneur building up a side hustle into a full-time business, and the other passing a successful family business on to his daughter. The thing that connects the two is a life-size version of CIBC’s new logo, which takes them where they want to be as they leap through it – the entrepreneur in a warehouse that is running like a fine-tuned machine, and the retiree enjoying his time surfing.
In both cases, walking through the logo is meant to symbolize getting advice from a CIBC advisor and being confident enough to make your most ambitious goals a reality.
“Our new brand brings to life our purpose and our commitment to help our clients succeed,” says Esther Benzie, VP of brand and marketing at CIBC. “We felt it was important to express this and our brand through two different, yet equally powerful human stories of how we bring our clients’ ambitions – big and small – to life.”
According to Benzie, the bank remains focused on establishing its new “bold” rebrand and conveying how the institution’s financial advisors provide real help by offering personalized advice.
This new campaign, in market this month, was created in collaboration with global Toronto-based creative agency, Juniper Park\TBWA, as part of CIBC refreshing its look last year. The two spots are a continuation of a concept debuted in last year’s “Plane” anchor spot, though they are rooted in more relatable financial ambitions.
According to Benzie, CIBC is looking to communicate with Canadians who are the primary financial decision-makers to encourage them to seek financial advice with the bank, as people are more inclined to take a closer look at their finances at the start of the new year when holiday debt is on their minds and RRSP deadlines are fast approaching.
Benzie tells strategy that the entrepreneur spot is also meant to brings to life the bank’s commitment to helping entrepreneurs from racialized communities achieve their ambitions, whether that’s through personalized financial advice or funding to support to create greater access to opportunities. In January, the bank announced a new program that includes a $15 million commitment for business loans of up to $250,000, non-repayable loans for Black entrepreneurs, as well as educational supports.
The integrated “Ambitions Made Real” campaign is running across TV, online video, digital and social.
“We used mass scale channels with the efficiency of audience-based targeting,” Benzie explains. “This allows us to build awareness with Canadians while identifying key consumers to drive consideration and deeper engagement.”
Ad spend is in line with past campaigns in market at this time of year.
Videos were directed by Chris Sargent, produced by AD Hoc Content, with post-production by Saints, a52 and Bolt Content. Media is handled by Mediacom.
