TD Canada Trust proved it knew its customers better than most banks by turning a few of its ATMs into Automated Thanking Machines and rigging them to hand out more than cash.
A single mom got two savings accounts for her kids and trip to Disneyland. A Toronto Blue Jays fan got the experience of a lifetime—a chance to throw out the first pitch. And a mother got tickets to Trinidad so she could visit a daughter who is fighting cancer.
The video—like a banking version of Coke's special vending machines—has 7 million views in 10 days. As with all these feel-good viral ads, it's the emotion on the customer's face that creates the connection, along with the backstory. It's one thing to give a single mom a trip to Disney. It's another to learn she's never been able to take her kids anywhere.
But of course, someone probably said, "Hey, that's nice for those 12 people, but what about the rest of TD's customers?" Well, TD employees distributed $20 bills to every customer at over 1,100 locations, and thousands more received a direct deposit. I'm sure most of them are giving TD a big thank-you right back.
Of course, having that YouTube view count tick up is the gift that keeps on giving.
