Royal Bank of Canada’s latest promotional work shifts the focus from product to emotion-centric messaging in an expansion of institution’s unifying creative platform.
Running today through Oct. 31, the “You Deserve” campaign’s hero video by agency partner Battery enlists Arrested Development star Will Arnett as a pitchman to tout the bank’s legacy of offering “real people and real support.”
“We want people to raise their expectations and understand they truly deserve a bank that goes beyond the basics, one that’s there for them when it matters,” says Sonia Whiteson, SVP, Marketing, Personal Banking, RBC. “The core message behind the campaign is all about showing Canadians they shouldn’t settle when it comes to banking.”
Whiteson says the creative builds on the February launch of the “Your Ideas Happen Here” platform by further developing a customer-centred and empathic focus. Arnett’s added presence, meanwhile, infuses the work with familiarity, cross-generational appeal and a youthful resonance.
The fall months are typically crowded with financial advertising, Whiteson says, as Canadians reset routines and refocus on finances.
“Knowing other brands will be active can sometimes be a deterrent, but as the leader in the category, we see an opportunity to stand apart from the competition with a truly differentiated message at a time when Canadians are most engaged,” she says.
The campaign includes broadcast, connected TV, OLV, streaming radio and in-branch signage in it rollout.
The French Shop developed radio, digital, and an out-of-home for a portion of the campaign tailored to the Quebec market.
“In Quebec, many money-related expressions reflect a tendency to downplay or limit oneself,” Whiteson says. “This campaign reimagines those expressions and turns them into positive affirmations.”
Initiative worked on a media buy that Whiteson says was designed to “maximize impact and breakthrough.”
“More so than investment, the media strategy intentionally over-indexes on high-impact placements and appointment viewing to ensure our brand is front of mind during moments that matter,” Whiteson adds.
