“ALPHA AUNTIE” IN CHARGE

LITTLE BIG ENGINE AND WISE PUT “ALPHA AUNTIE” IN CHARGE

Campaign Built on a Shared Family Dynamic Targets Filipino and Indian Communities Sending Money Home

Little Big Engine, an independent creative, production and branding agency, is launching “Alpha Auntie,” a campaign for Wise, the global technology company building the best way to move and manage the world’s money. The campaign was developed specifically for Filipino and Indian communities in North America who maintain strong financial ties to their home countries.

The campaign runs throughout the U.S. from early October through December across connected TV, video, social and digital platforms. It is designed to establish Wise as the smartest way to send money along two of the company’s largest growth routes: from North America to the Philippines and from North America to India.

The idea emerged from focus groups with members of the Filipino and Indian communities, which helped inform creative concepts designed to resonate with both audiences. In some Filipino and Indian families, an authoritative auntie rules the roost, and the competition over who has the smartest, most successful relative can seem never-ending. The twist? The smartest family member might just be the nephew sitting in sweats watching TV because he uses Wise to send money home.

Rather than produce one film and adapt it for both audiences, the agency created two distinct executions of the same concept, each written and cast for its intended audience.

In “Chismis,” named for a Tagalog term for gossip, Mikey Bustos, the OG Filipino YouTuber, plays a lazy nephew who, despite his unkempt appearance, is the pride of the family. In “Family Bragging,” Sima Taparia, star of Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking, plays an Alpha Auntie who can’t help but fawn over her seemingly unmotivated nephew because he uses Wise to send money internationally.

“We are so excited to launch ‘Alpha Auntie,’ another execution under our global creative platform ‘Be Smart. Get Wise.,’” said Matt White, head of strategy and planning at Wise. “This time, we’ve enlisted the help of the amazing Mikey Bustos and Sima Aunty to land the idea that even if you’re not a doctor or VP of a tech company, you can still be the smartest family member just by using Wise to send money home.”

“Every family has that one relative that everyone is trying to impress. Their own ‘Alpha Auntie,’” said Ben Myers, partner and head of accounts and business development at Little Big Engine. “That dynamic is so specific and so universal, but not many brands are brave enough to go there. By casting talent these communities already trust, we brought this insight to life and made the product and brand the heroes of the punchline.”

“This campaign is a great example of how we think brands should approach working with celebrities and influencers,” said Patrick Maravilla, co-CCO of Little Big Engine. “Rather than paying them to promote or sell products to their fans, we started by working with Wise to land a cultural truth that would resonate with Indian and Filipino audiences. Then we partnered with Sima Taparia and Mikey Bustos to help tell the Wise brand story. This approach will do more to build the brand with these audiences than simply using celebrities to sell products. Plus, it was a LOT more fun.”

Wise has spent years building credibility with customers living international lives, allowing the brand to embrace cultural nuances rather than explain them. The campaign builds on “Be Smart. Get Wise.,” the global creative platform Wise and Little Big Engine launched last year and have since extended across markets and product lines.

Creative includes two :30 videos, two :15s, four :30 audio spots and a full social package. Media platforms include Amazon Prime, DAZN, Sportsnet+, ABS-CBN, Willow, Fubo, YuppTV, Netflix, Pluto, Roku, Tubi, Crave, Plex, Haystack, Meta and YouTube.

Wise and Little Big Engine have partnered on projects for the past year and a half. Little Big Engine is a branding, creative and production agency that delivers creative work clients can hold accountable. Clients include global brands such as Hooked on Phonics, Tovala, ZipRecruiter and Edible Arrangements, as well as challenger brands such as Zagg, Skyscanner, Purple Mattress, Chirp, Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter, Pura and Kizik. To learn more, visit https://www.littlebigengine.com/