Interac is taking a lighter touch to the holiday imagery to instead give shoppers one less thing to be stressed about during a time of year marked by high spending.
The social- and digital- led “You’re in Charge” campaign showcases people dancing and celebrating as they shop in-store and at home, a burst of energy that comes from the confident of spending their own money with Interac Debit and e-Transfers, instead of piling on credit card debt.
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While there are still mentions of gift lists and lights decorating the background, the references to the holidays are more subtle compared to previous Interac holiday campaigns, which have shown things like family photo sessions in the snow, more thoughtful approaches to gift-giving and spending smart during this time of year.
Daria Hill, VP of marketing and communications at Interac, tells strategy the brand is trying to pull everyday spending moments out of the traditional holiday themed space as it continues to work on building up its “InLife” brand platform. Launched last year, “InLife” has been about showing Canadians that spending smarter with Interac products and services can help them focus on the things that are most important to them.
To that end, the campaign features the “payment moment” prominently to both drive home people being in control of their finances, as well as being as a clear call to action to ensure memorability.
An empowering message about finances will surely be relevant to Canadians feeling the pressure of inflation, but Hill adds that the holidays are still meant to be about fun and celebrating. Taking a more youthful and energetic approach is also more relevant to its key target of 25- to 34-year-old women.
The campaign is unified by an electronic dance music track that sounds somewhat similar to “Jingle Bells,” composed using payment beeps and the brand’s audio identity, laddering back to its fall campaign in which the payment processor created a song to help Canadians shop smarter.
“We’re excited about composing our own music for this one, building on the audio identity we launched,” Hill says, adding that it’s part of the whole campaign being social and digital first.
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Part of being more fun and playful, Hill says, ties into a campaign execution that also includes a two-minute pre-show Cineplex segment with TikTok. This new placement with Cineplex features TikTok-curated creator content and a 30-second compilation of the videos.
The campaign is led by creative agency partner Zulu Alpha Kilo, with strategic media planning and buying by Media Experts. Other executions include social, online video, display, and placements in malls, at Best Buy locations and at Montreal’s Bell Centre. Spending for the campaign is in line with previous holiday campaigns, though a greater share has been shifted to digital channels: the media mix is approximately 80% digital and 20% OOH. There is also no conventional television, but only connected TV, a first for the Interac brand.
The campaign’s custom audio track was developed by Sixième Son, the sonic branding agency responsible for developing the brand’s audio identity. Interac is also sponsoring holiday markets in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa, with activations raising money for select charities brought to life by Proof Experiences.
The campaign runs until Dec. 31.
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