Financial firm Embark is encouraging parents to get an early start on saving for their children.
With support from new agency partner Juliet, Embark has launched an integrated platform featuring scenarios relatable to parents, such as a dad pinned under his finally sleeping newborn and a mom doing 2 a.m. diaper detail.
With 77% of the Embark’s existing clientele being women, the brand strived for equal representation in creative and developed a targeting strategy to reach both mothers and fathers, says Glenn Thomas, brand and marketing strategy director at Embark.
The work is also informed by brand research that shows only about half of eligible Canadian families open RESPs accounts.
“Why aren’t the other half doing the same?” Thomas asks. “In our interviews with parents we learned they already understood the importance of saving for their children’s future. The challenge isn’t awareness, it’s time.”
Thomas says a focus on saving should be top of mind, even if other parenting priorities might seem more pressing. The earlier parents begin saving for a child, the greater the potential benefits of compound interest and maximizing grants can be.
“Speaking to new parents was a strategic shift to focus on (because) many parents wait too long before starting to save and the benefits to starting early are indisputable,” says Ryan Spelliscy, founder and CCO at Juliet.
Juliet secured the AOR assignment with Embark after a competitive RFP in February.
Media, led by Epitaph, will appear on national television, online video, connected TV and in local arenas throughout Canada.
Late last summer, Embark signed on with the CFL as the official educational savings and planning partner. The multi-year partnership brought Embark marketing presence on the sidelines, broadcasts and digital and social platforms throughout the season.
According to the brand, the partnership represents the biggest ad spend on marketing media that the CFL’s ever made and the first major broadcast buy throughout summer with a heavy up in the fall for the back-to-school period.
