After being one of the most visible brands in last year’s Super Bowl, TD Bank is offering up two spots for this year’s game — one specific to its investing app, and the other about the guidance of its financial advisors.

Like in last year’s game, the bank is again looking to reach younger investors with its Easy Trade DIY mobile trading and direct investment app. In the new ad, people from the “Internet comment section” offer investment advice of questionable quality, like getting picks from ghosts, investing in companies based on the length of their stock symbol or putting your trust into a bot.

In the other spot, the bank tackles uncomfortable finance discussions, with people trying steer questions about money towards even more uncomfortable subject matter. And it concludes with reassurance around TD advisors being there to help.

Betsey Chung, global CMO at TD Bank, explains that the creative approach is guided by “EVA,” a mnemonic she uses, informed by research about what matters to post-pandemic customers and clients: “ease” of doing business, “value” and “advice.”

Consumers, Chung says, are at a stage where they are seeing rising interest rates and cost of goods, and are increasingly concerned about how to manage their finances.

That’s why both spots provide reassurance about the quality of advice TD provides, and also specifics about how that advice is put into play on the self-directed Easy Trade app so people can learn about how to make the right investments. The learning aspect is a key differentiator, Chung explains, as Easy Trade offers “probably the most educational video set of any direct investing proposition.”

And as she’s noted, reaching a younger audience is critically important for TD Wealth’s growth ambitions.

Last year, TD was one of the most visible brands during the Canadian Super Bowl broadcast: its ad for TD Easy Trade aired seven times during the English broadcast and three times on French channels. In doubling up its spots, the bank’s ad spend is higher than last year.

Last year’s ad was also the beginning of a year-long effort behind the ad, and this year’s spots will also be part of the bank’s broader media mix in the year ahead. Aside from conventional channels, Chung adds that the bank is also “very prominent” on TikTok and Twitch, as well as social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. With the wealth of educational videos on Easy Trade, some of that content will also be appearing on YouTube.

Both ads were created by Ogilvy, which became the bank’s creative AOR in late 2021.

On the media side, it is working with Unison, a division of Publicis created just for TD to handle its North American buying and planning. Chung says that, unlike the other Big Five banks, TD is also a top-six bank in the U.S., which is why it pursued a North America-wide media approach.

This January, TD placed 93rd on Brand Finance’s Top 500 Most Valuable Brands lists for 2023. That’s up from 114th in 2022, and the only Canadian brand to crack the Top 100.

Chung, a CPA herself, says she appreciates the methodology of the report — certified by global independent auditors, which examines brand strength, value, impact —  and attributes the bank’s success to its purpose-driven ethos as a differentiated brand. This includes leaning into sponsorship pillars of community, music and sports.