PROBLEM
Losing everything in just a few clicks… Whether it’s Leo, a teen who is offered an easy $1,000, or Jean-Guy the grandfather who receives a suspicious tax rebate message, every generation is at risk.
SOLUTIONS
Insight
Our research showed that each generation has a different relationship with the digital world and online security, meaning that each age group was at risk of falling victim to a set of distinct scams. Moreover, some members were shaken by the events of 2019, as was their perception of the brand’s security ‘expertise’.
Strategy
We needed, therefore, to encourage a change in behaviour amongst a good number of 14-60 year-olds but without sounding too moralistic, as Desjardins was not in a position to use its authority on security at this point. We discovered that social norms are highly influenced by popular culture. Programmes like Watatatow or La Petite Vie have a concrete impact on our culture and have even forged entire generations.
Big Idea
Surpassing estimated ratings in its first series and reaching all our target audiences, Entre Deux Draps had the potential we were seeking. The programme followed the everyday lives of four funny, modern couples. We developed mini-episodes bringing six of the show’s characters into the spotlight. Each of the three couples represented a particular generation, and their stories illustrated realistic situations relevant to their age-group. Our adverts resembled exclusive clips of the show. We were able to reproduce the show’s aesthetic as the mini-episodes were produced by KOTV in the same style and the characters were played by the real Entre Deux Draps actors. Entering this environment allowed us to address security more directly with the public, via characters with which they identified.
Challenges
Borrowing the identity of a show and broadcasting our messages whilst retraining those of the original programme required some special negotiation. The evaluation of the media and production value required close collaboration in order to obtain the expertise of the right people. Negotiations with KOTV resulted in us being able to benefit from their resources and link their show identity to our messages and the Desjardins brand. They also helped us reduce the production fees by 30% by managing to convince the clients to release additional budget to enable us to go forward with the initiative. In terms of activation, we challenged Bell Media to broadcast the mini-episodes across all platforms, something which required a lot of management to achieve. With the sponsorship we were able to ensure we obtained exclusive funding. In manually excluding categories across all platforms, the programming team at Bell Media was faced with a number of challenges.
Execution
To complement the broadcasting of the mini-episodes on the Bell Media network and YouTube, retargeting banner ads invited viewers to take advantage of Desjardin’s prevention tools. Wherever you heard about Entre Deux Draps, you also heard about Desjardins whether it was banners, logos or other placements, and we synchronised the television sponsorship with that of the catch-up services. For the first time, Bell Media programmed the banners for the broadcast page in order for them to be front and centre, and the online catch-up environment was redesigned to incorporate Desjardins colour palette for the duration of the campaign. In a way we even sponsored the content! As well as being linked to the visual and cultural identity of Entre Deux Draps, our publicity was shown first during the commercial breaks across all networks. This allowed us to give the impression that the mini-episodes were bonus sketches presented by Desjardins. The initiative aimed to generate surprise, capture attention and garner brand love, by giving viewers extra content from the show they enjoy.
Methodology and Synergy
Our big idea was embedded in an ecosystem of local and diversified media which allowed us to deliver our messages via the cultural influence of those networks. The integrity of La Presse and the engaging format of the Xtras section allowed us to reach the 30-60 year-olds. A group of influencers targeted the younger generation, helping to create new social norms by addressing the subject, usually taboo amongst younger people. Lastly, in order to generate frequency and to embed the message into the daily lives of our target adults, radio ads were broadcast across the Ohdio, QUB and iHeart stations.