Td Canada Trust: "GET COMFORTABLE!" Promo / PR Ad by Mediacom

Category: Best Use of Branded Content
Advertiser: TD BANK FINANCIAL GROUP
Product/Service: TD CANADA TRUST
Date of First Appearance: Sep 1 2009 12:00AM
Entrant Company: MEDIACOM, Toronto, CANADA
Director of Content: Anthony Hello (MediaCom)
Vice President/ Group Account Director: Eric Kuiper (MediaCom)
Account Executive: Lindsay Greig (MediaCom)
Advertising Manager: Bruce Burgess (TD Canada Trust)
Executive Director: Scott Moore (CBC)
Director of Marketing: Jamie Michaels (CBC)
Senior Manager Brand Activation: Anna Lee (CBC)
Marketing Specialist Brand Activation: Michael Reles (CBC)
Account Manager Digital: Nancy Bevilacqua (CBC)
Media placement: :30 Vignettes - CBC - 31/08/2009
Media placement: :30 Brandsell - CBC - 21/09/2009
Media placement: Online Hub - CBC.ca - 31/08/2009
Media placement: Being Erica - Integrations - CBC - 06/10/2009
Media placement: Little Mosque - Integrations - CBC - 07/10/2009
Media placement: Heartland - Integrations - CBC - 18/10/2009
Media placement: The Hour - Good News Sponorship - CBC - 28/10/2009
Media placement: Co-Pro Campaign - TV, Web, Transit - TV, Web, Transit - 31/08/2009

Results and Effectiveness
This programme was a fantastic success! Versus a control group: • Positive opinion of TDCT grew by 29% • Double-digit growth on all ‘comfort’ measures (promotes diversity, friendly employees, treats customers with respect, goes the extra mile) • Unaided brand awareness grew by 18% Moreover: • Nearly 7 in 10 viewers found the integrations noticeable, appropriate, and realistic • 20% more viewers than expected tuned in to the 3 sponsored scripted programmes • Received earned media impressions worth approximately CDN$100,000 due to the substantial media interest created by this groundbreaking sponsorship.

Creative Execution
We built a fully integrated, customised sponsorship with 5 branded content components: 1) Storyline integrations and placements in 3 primetime scripted programmes 2) 30-second commercial vignettes starring network lead actresses seated in the iconic green chair 3) Sponsorship of a ‘good news’ feature on a primetime news programme 4) Online hub with exclusive content 5) Co-branded TV, web, and transit campaign The storyline integrations were perhaps the most impactful: • On “Being Erica”, viewers discover that one character, a visible minority, is a TD Canada Trust branch manager; he hosts a bank diversity fundraiser • On “Heartland”, a precocious teenager visits a branch for advice on saving for college. Her grandfather secures a first car loan • On “Little Mosque on the Prairie”, a teller welcomes the new Reverend in town Product placements showcased ease-of-use for spending products and online banking. Brand spots aired adjacent to scripted scenes.

Insights, Strategy & the Idea
This 'media first' campaign shattered branded content barriers in Canada. It earned front page press coverage in a national daily newspaper, along with feature stories in a top current affairs magazine and in the marketing press. The portfolio of branded content we built with our broadcast partner leveraged their full complement of assets and built our client's brand beyond expectations. The brief from TD Canada Trust (TDCT): develop a new, integrated television sponsorship targeting adults age 25-54 to build equity as Canada’s most comfortable bank. We selected CBC-TV as the partner, primarily because their schedule features the most Canadian-produced programming - vital to the production of integrated content. Our insight: TV viewers naturally get excited about the return of new episodes each fall. We strategised that TDCT could leverage this excitement by campaigning it as a sponsorship. We would create a portfolio of branded content using all of the network's assets.