2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

BMO, a traditional bank in Canada, recognized that younger millennial and Gen Z customers were turning away from traditional banks and towards big tech and non-banks due to a desire for personalization and new options. To engage these customers, BMO launched a new initiative to meet them where they are - in the gaming space. By launching BMO NXT LVL, a first-of-its-kind platform on Twitch, BMO aimed to educate gamers on personal finance and help them level up in their financial progress in the same way they level up in games.

To make the channel authentic, BMO hired a Gaming Relations Specialist (GRS) who played popular games while discussing finances with Canadian gaming influencers. BMO also created an Augmented Reality version of the GRS' office with interactive hotspots, video content, and financial and gaming tips to deepen visitors' experience. The campaign was supported with paid units on Twitch and organic content across social media platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, Steam, Discord, Reddit, and Twitch.

The results of the first season of BMO NXT LVL were impressive, with a +40% unaided awareness, +30% gaming association, +15% perception of innovativeness, and +4% consideration/purchase intent. The campaign also garnered 118,746 unique views, 517,014 minutes watched, 8,600 hours watched, 8.5 million video views, and 24,119 campaign engagements.

By launching a first-of-its-kind communication platform on Twitch, BMO demonstrated that a traditional bank could thrive within gaming culture and change the gaming community's opinion of what a bank can be.

Credits

Agency: FCB Canada
Agency Credits:
Chief Creative Officer: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Executive Creative Director: Andrew MacPhee
Executive Creative Director: Jeremiah McNama
VP, Creative Innovation: Eli Ferrara
Creative Director: Mike Kotevich
Sr. Copywriter: Caleb McMullen
Art Director: Hussein Rumaithi
Copywriter: Patrick Gravel
EVP, General Manager:Tracy Little
VP, Group Account Director: Jessica Lax
Senior Account Director: Hailey Scott
Director, Integrated Production: Maia Spetter
VP, Managing Director: Tim Welsh
Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown
Strategy Director: Stephanie Gyles
Jr. Strategist: Shao Xu
VP, Strategy 1:1 Practice Lead: John Fung
Sr. Social Content Strategist: Daisy Qin
UX/UI Tech Specialist: Lara Goldsmith
Full Stack Developer: Lily Han
Jr. Quality Assurance Analyst: Natasha Phillip
Broadcast Producer: Tania Overholt
Production Company 1: Unified Content
Production Company Credits:
Executive Producer: Laurie Jones
Executive Producer: Michi Lepik-Stahl
Director: Tom Feiler
Line Producer: Caitlin Cucco
Director of Photography: TJ Derry
Director of Photography: Adam Madrzyk
Editor: Peter Miller
Assistant Editor: Luke Ionico
VFX: Jay Ryan
Colourist: Kristina Mileska
Online: Rebecca Burtnik
Producer: Rebecca Burtnik
Production Company 2: Think Tank Creative
Production Company Credits:
Animation (Case Study)
Post Production Company 1:
Production Company Credits:
Music/Sound Company: Oso
Music/Sound Company Credits:
Creative Director: Daenen Bramberger
Engineer: Leo Hicks
Executive Producer: Hannah Graham
Producer: Jane Heath
Media Agency: UM
Media Agency Credits:
Tim Davies
Ryan Hunter
Sarah Fraser