Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has traded his jersey for a blazer as he joins “Team RBC” in the bank’s newest campaign for its Vantage rewards program.
Developed with Los Angeles-based creative agency Battery, the bank’s “Make It Count” campaign taps into Matthews’ interests beyond hockey – namely, fashion, film and music – in a humorous way, pairing him with brand spokesman “Gene Raymond” (an industry in-joke based on the fake name emblazoned on many sample credit cards) to act as pitchmen for the RBC Vantage brand, touting its benefits and value proposition to people they happen across.
“Their financial institution is never at the top of mind for consumers – maybe even less so these days, given that they have far more pressing issues to think about, when you consider inflation and high interest rates,” says Sonia Whiteson, VP of marketing for banking, mobile, youth and new client growth at the bank. “Compound that with being in a very competitive environment including so many different financial institutions, and for us to break through, we need and are looking for a message that is relevant to where consumers are at in life right now. This concept of value is something we keep coming back to.”
Matthews is not the first “elite” athlete RBC has worked with. Among its ambassadors are Sarah Nurse, Kelsey Mitchell, Penny Oleksiak and Brooke Henderson – champions across several different sports who “demonstrate the drive and inspirational qualities to help Canadians unlock their potential,” says Shannon Cole, VP of brand marketing with the bank.
But this campaign “transcends beyond the game,” like Matthews himself, allowing him to be seen in a new way by Canadians. “We’re excited to showcase him in an unexpected way, because he does have a dry wit about him and a personality that hasn’t always shone through and maybe Canadians haven’t seen that side of him. It surprised us, in the best of ways.”
Ultimately, featuring an athlete of Matthews’ calibre helps the bank “earn” its share of consumer attention spans, Whiteson says. When the bank put the spots through testing, “what we found out about his appeal is he resonates beyond any demographic we thought he was limited to. Even those unfamiliar with Auston, who aren’t hockey fans and who don’t live in Ontario, still find he has mass appeal.”
The institution will look to capitalize on that mass appeal with a heavy spend, including a major broadcast component “that’s very choiceful about key tentpole moments,” especially during the hockey season, she notes. A mix of 30- and 15-second spots will run on TV, while the bank is “having a lot of fun” with “more cuts than you’d have seen for previous campaigns” on social, too.
There is also substantial digital investment, Whiteson says, as well as some OOH in the mix. “We’re going to be focusing on harder-hitting RTBs to drive that consideration that Auston will be building.”
Initiative handled the media buy, while Wasserman helped evaluate the ambassador partnership with Matthews.
