In a time when Canadians are grappling with rising financial challenges, Easyfinancial is using humour to address the often-sensitive topic of poor credit scores with its new “Tight Spot” campaign.
According to the company’s research, there are more than 9.3 million Canadians with non-prime credit scores, and more than 72% have been denied credit by banks and other traditional institutions. To address this precarious financial position, the brand’s new creative depicts a mini-van suspended in air between two skyscrapers to convey the sense of being trapped.
Andrea Fiederer, EVP and CMO of Easyfinancial, tells strategy the pivot toward levity reflects a broader shift in the brand’s marketing strategy, as a way to engage customers on financial topics that traditionally evoke anxiety.
“We know the topic of money can be serious for many people, but by using common ‘moneyisms’ – [such as] being in a tight spot or saving for a rainy day – in a humorous and exaggerated way, we were able to create a campaign that is memorable, recognizable and breaks through the clutter in the industry,” Fiederer says.
The campaign’s target are those working in manufacturing, retail, financial services, healthcare, technology and the public sector, since Canadians in these industries make up most of Easyfinancial’s client base, Fiederer adds.
The campaign, which was launched on Sept. 30, is being promoted through linear TV, connected TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Twitch, OOH, digital audio, social media (Meta), Google, the brand’s website and through other owned channels. The company is also investing more in online video and digital audio channels, moving away from traditional radio and reducing its linear TV spend compared to previous campaigns.
“The outcome of this integrated effort is a robust media plan that allows us to generate efficient awareness and reach through our mass channels… ultimately allowing us to reach our audiences through more touchpoints and therefore reducing our cost per acquisition in lower funnel channels,” Fiederer says.
No Fixed Address, the brand’s creative AOR, devised the campaign, while K72 handled the media buying.