Bank on the Now

Simplii Financial launches Bank on the Now platform to help clients to seize the moment

Created by Broken Heart Love Affair, the fresh approach demonstrates the contrast between the digital bank and its peers

Simplii Financial, one of Canada’s leading digital banks, unveiled a new brand platform and modern look with the goal of helping Canadians Bank on the Now. The refresh is part of a multi-year initiative to build on the bank’s ambition to be a leader in direct banking.

The branding, developed by Broken Heart Love Affair, introduces a new logo, a vibrant magenta and neon green, and black colour palette, editorial-style images in black and white that capture raw and candid moments, as well as three dots borrowed from the ‘i’s in Simplii.

“Since our inception, Simplii has challenged the conventional belief that a better future means compromises in the present,” says Tammy Sadinsky, SVP, Brand and Marketing, CIBC. “Our new brand highlights the importance of maximizing today and taking action.”

The campaign is anchored by a 60-second digital and social ad, programmatic and display ads, and out of home advertising. The black and white spot features human moments in near-suspended animation that precedes action–highlighting that we exist, change, and create in the now, resolving in the tagline Start Your Engines.

In one scenario, a man is shown pulling back on what audiences eventually realize is a huge slingshot strung between a pair of trees. While the slingshot itself is never shown, we see the man straining to pull it backward, his bare feet digging into the ground below, the trees audibly creaking as they are bent down by his actions.

In another scenario a greyhound sits inside an elevator, eager to bolt as soon as the doors open. In another, a young woman is shown standing outside and viewers see her feet beginning to smoke, accompanied by the sound of squealing tires. Another spot shows a man winding up to deliver what is shaping up to be a monumental kick to the rear of a colleague.

Each spot ends just as all of that latent energy is about to be released, abruptly transitioning from the black and white imagery to the bright visuals of the revamped Simplii Financial logo, accompanied by the all-caps message “START YOUR ENGINES.”

“We wanted to bring to life that moment of ignition when you make a change. The creative concept is designed to inspire people to do whatever they’ve been putting off and live now,” says BHLA Creative Director Spencer Ryan, who developed the campaign with his creative partner Jordan Hamer. “They are all kind of that moment of ignition,” says Ryan. “The visuals immerse viewers in the headspace that you are in during those types of moments. It’s an approach designed to make people feel instead of rationalize their banking experience.”

The new hyper-bright visual style felt like the right way to help Simplii Financial stand out amid a crowd of competitive brands, says Hamer. “Being a digital bank, these feel like very bright digital colours. They’re vivid and feel electrically charged, which complements the energy of the campaign.”