BMO has partnered with Juno-nominated rapper and viral hitmaker bbno$ (pronounced “baby no money”) to support the brand’s ongoing commitment to support financial literacy among new graduates and young professionals.

A custom track by the Vancouver-born artist titled “BPOT (Bills Paid on Time)” aims to reinforce healthy financial habits and is already a hit. Launched on Jan. 31, which was strategically chosen since it’s a key bill-paying date, the song racked up more than 5.5 million views across social media platforms within the first 12 hours of its release, and now has more than 7.2 million views.

“Reaching the Gen Z market in a way they won’t cringe at is a tough assignment for any marketer, but it’s even tougher if you’re a Big Five bank,” says Jennifer Rossini, executive creative director of FCB, which developed the campaign. “We tried to find the target where they already are and seamlessly fit into the algorithm in a way they were expecting – and not expecting.”

BMO’s partnership with the rapper follows the bank’s launch, earlier in January, of the BMO eclipse rise Visa Card. The card is a new, no-annual-fee credit card rewarding users with points for good financial habits like paying bills in full and on time.

“We know that 60% of Gen Z don’t get how credit works before they get their first credit card,” Rossini says. “But while they might forget to pay their bills on time, they’re not forgetting the latest TikTok earworm. Partnering with an artist like bbno$ to reinforce good financial habits was the perfect fit for our campaign.”

A recent BMO Real Financial Progress Index survey found that 74 percent of Gen Z Canadians (ages 18 to 24) are concerned about the economy and the rising cost of living as they transition to financial independence, and are nearly five times more likely than older generations to turn to social media platforms for financial advice.

“As the first digital native generation, Gen Z has challenged us to consider how we can thoughtfully connect with our customers online and offline, deliver support and advice, and help them achieve their financial goals,” said Michelle Feeney, CMO for personal and business banking with BMO. “Partnering with an artist like bbno$ allows us to meet our customers where they are, encourage them to get started on building responsible financial habits in a memorable way and help them make real financial progress.”

BMO’s new campaign launched with a teaser video featuring bbno$ coming up with the lyrics, along with a five-second sample of the song, which racked up two million views. The video with the custom track then dropped days later, with viewers surprised to discover the song was an ad for, of all things, a bank.

“There’s one brand moment in the entire piece, at the end and it’s not very long, and BMO is not even mentioned in the track,” Rossini says. “We hear a lot about frontloading and making sure the logo is there, but the element of surprise really worked in our favour. It’s less about creating an ad and more about creating an experience that your target will associate with you.”

The third asset of the campaign was a video featuring bbno$ speaking to the success of the track. Rossini explains that the strategy for this effort was a “niche play for the Gen Z audience,” which is why the video was kept to TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

The work was part of the larger credit card launch campaign created by FCB Toronto in partnership with UM Canada for media, Mediabrands Content Studio for influencer support and Golin for PR.