You expect big-budget, slam-bang drama from Hollywood action movies. But doing simple banking chores like depositing checks shouldn't make you feel like you're trapped in an out-of-control Michael Bay production.
Ad agency Tierney develops that fun storyline in a trio of spots, using familiar cinematic tropes to illustrate how TD Bank provides a better experience for its customers.
"Floodnado" posits a violent deluge of Biblical proportions, but that's no problem, because TD lets you easily make deposits online from your dry, comfy home. Why crash through shop windows and climb over rush-hour traffic to get to the bank, like the hero of "Closed in 60 Seconds," when TD stays open longer? And if you're planning a vacation with a spendy friendy, relax—TD's mobile tracking will help keep you on budget, as it does for the lesbian couple in "Cash Me If You Can." (Wells Fargo also used a same-sex scenario in its first ads from BBDO this spring.)
Benji Weinstein, via Tool of North America, directed the 30-second TD commercials, part of the ongoing "Bank Human" campaign. He keeps the pace brisk and the mood light, while the on-screen antics never overwhelm the brand message.
In a clever twist skewering Tinseltown's facile casting requirements, the average folks in the spots morph into younger, stronger, hipper versions of themselves for the action scenes. These transformations are noticeable, but subtle enough that some viewers might hit replay to confirm what they've just seen. (No harm in that, eh, TD Bank?)
Related campaign elements—which in most cases also spoof Hollywood, TV and social-media clichés (from zombies to kung fu and dubbed cats)—include pre-roll videos on Hulu, as well as Web banners, BuzzFeed lists and quizzes. In addition, digital billboards in select cities will display personalized responses to viewers' tweets.
Using multiple platforms underscores "our commitment to delivering leading omni-channel solutions without sacrificing the personal experiences" that keep customers satisfied, says TD CMO Vinoo Vijay. Moreover, he says, the bank strives to tell stories "that address fundamental human truths, recognizing that since our customers' problems are big to them, they are big to us, too."