2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

When it comes to Canadian banks, your first is often your forever. Approximately 20-25% of Scotiabank’s new customers each year are new Canadians. Since moving to a different country requires substantial planning and coordination, most new Canadians stay with whichever bank they initially signed up with upon arrival.

This is Scotiabank’s opportunity to win them over first and develop a life-long financial relationship with them. That's why it's crucial that they attract New Canadians to the bank before or as soon as they arrive in Canada. To encourage new Canadians to choose us as their primary bank, Scotiabank launched the StartRight program, offering a range of banking products specifically designed to support them as they settle into
their new homes.

The most helpful advice comes from someone who has been in your shoes. Moving to a new country is a daunting undertaking. Overwhelmed by decisions that need to be made and brands screaming advice at them from every direction, newcomers often rely on WOM, turning to friends and family for their opinions when making decisions like who to bank with when they arrive. To drive distinction, they needed to show new Canadians that Scotiabank’s advice is anything but generic - it is real and it comes from a place of
true empathy.

Scotiabank spotlights advice from previously new Canadians to help newcomers who have just landed.

Instead of bombarding them with product messaging, they set out to give them empathetic advice that would show them that the brand is here to support them, not just in their banking journey, but throughout the entire process of this major life milestone.

Scotiabank asked Canadians what advice they’d give themselves on their first day in Canada, whether it was 2 or 20 years ago, and used that real advice to create an empathy-driven campaign.

The work taps into the shared experiences and learnings of Canadians and shows how Scotiabank can help new members of the community best transition into Canadian life. They launched with their hero video ‘First Day,’ which follows Arjun on his first day in Canada. As the video moves from the past to the present, Arjun reflects on the advice he would have given himself on his first day in this new country. The hero video ran on TV, Cinema & online. To support the video they created digital, social, and OOH assets, along with a new StartRight webpage that featured quotes of advice from new Canadians.

The campaign drove astonishingly impressive results- the agency doubled Scotiabank’s new Canadian market share to 18% from 9% in 2021, increasing their ranking in the New Canadian market share from #4 to #2 amongst the big 5 banks. Web traffic increased by 276% resulting in a 42% growth in account openings and a 48% increase in credit card acquisitions – four times higher than in 2019.

They doubled market share from 9% to 18% among new Canadians and had a 42% growth in new account openings, a 48% growth in credit card acquisitions (4x higher than 2019), and ranked #2 bank amongst the big 5 banks.

Credits

Client: Scotiabank
CCO: Aaron Starkman
CSO: Sean McDonald
ECD: Mike Dubrick
Creative Directors: Dhaval Bhatt
Art Director: Kennedy Choi
Writer: Jenai Kershaw
French Writer: Julie-Day Lebel, Karine Doucet
Group Strategy Director: Crystal Sales
Strategist (Mandatory): Colin Kikcio
Associate Director of Broadcast Production: Nadya MacNeil
Broadcast Producer: Shannon Farrell
Integrated Producer: Teresa Bayley
Agency Studio Artist: Justin Chan, Todd Bennett, Brad Kumar, Stephanie Sherwood
Retouching: Nabil Elsaadi
Production Company: Steam Films
Director: James Michael Chiang
Director of Photography: Goh Iromoto
Line Producer: Dolores Salken
Executive Producer: Jill Brennan
Edit House: Nimiopere
Editor: Raj Ramnauth
Assistant Editor: Hannah Stone
Executive Producer: Julie Axell
Producer: Paula Hicks
Colour House: Alter Ego
Colourist: Eric Whipp
Online House: Darling
Online Artist: Alexa Salsberg
Online Assistant: Russell Hanson
Audio House: Grayson Music
Executive Producer: Kelly McCluskey
Music and Voice Director: Ali Willa-Milner
Engineer: Vladimir Nikolic

Account Services:
Group Account Director: Niki Sahni & Sarah Riedlinger
Account Director: Michelle Corsbie
Account Director: Catherine Blouin-Mainville
Account Manager: Kara Schulz
Account Manager: Geraldine Sebastian

PR:
Strategic Communications Lead: Meredith Montgomery

Client:
Global Chief Marketing Officer: Laura Curtis Ferrera
Vice President Marketing - Canadian Banking, Scotiabank & Tangerine: John Rocco
Director, Customer Marketing: Erin McGrath
Senior Manager, Marketing: Laurence Turner

Media Company - PHD Media