Now that live music is back in earnest, RBC is adding elevated concert and festival experiences to its music platform as a way to celebrate with its clients.

The RBCxMusic “House of Ideas” launched on June 24 in the Escapade Music Festival in Ottawa. The House of Ideas is part viewing gallery and part activation area, featuring a dedicated stage, food and beverages, Instagrammable moments and sharing opportunities, as well as specialized merchandise and prizes. It will serve as RBCxMusic’s physical footprint at many of the festival sites, where all RBC clients will be invited to the experience.

The goal of the RBCxMusic platform more broadly is to tap into music’s innate ability to unite, and “House of Ideas” is meant to connect that with the bank’s brand platform, “Ideas Happen Here,” which launched in 2021 to acknowledge the power of ideas and the people behind them. It builds on the RBC’s stance that ideas drive not only its business, but also the interactions it has with its clients and communities.

“There’s no feeling quite like live music,” says Shannon Cole, VP and brand manager for RBC. “And we’re just excited to be able to celebrate the return to live festivals and live concerts and the ability to sell, celebrate and have that excitement and that shared journey together with our clients and with Canadians, because there’s a pent up demand.”

The experience will include augmented reality scavenger hunts at venues, where attendees search for hidden RBCxMusic “Xs” and unlocking unique prizes with their phones. These will be open to the public, while the physical sites and the House of Ideas are reserved for RBC clients and their guests.

The House of Ideas will run at various festivals in Canada until mid-August. It will be promoted on RBCxMusic’s own media platforms, primarily Instagram, as well as through influencers who will be creating and sharing content from the events. Some aspects of the campaign, including shows at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, will continue throughout the summer.

The effort was led by Salt XC, which RBCxMusic has worked with for previous campaigns. Trevor//Peter was in charge of the social media aspect of the campaign, while Rock-it Promotions handled PR.