With the launch of a broader campaign for the Double Cash Card, we set out to create a new, emotionally-based value proposition—based not just on product features but also on brand ethos. The Mets Mean What They Say videos were a continuation of that campaign, and our objective was to continue driving the following goals:
1) Build upon and accelerate the business success of the card.
2) Build meaning around the card beyond the product attributes, and develop an ownable space in a cluttered category where every cash back card is trying to win with category accelerators and fractions of percentages.
Wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? The Citi Double Cash card does. It's the only cash back card that means exactly what it says, with 1% cash back on all purchases and 1% cash back on payments. In a saturated credit card market, where consumers are tasked with evaluating a lot of cash back offerings, the Citi Double Cash card just tells you like it is. No categories and no limits on what you can earn, you get double cash back on everything.
This sentiment developed into the Citi Double Cash card "Means what it says" campaign, which features people in different, relatable scenarios (such as a first date) telling it like it is. The work ultimately positions the card as the honest, straightforward hero in a confusing market.
Leveraging their long-standing Mets partnership, Citi and TIME Inc. created a series of videos that built on the "Means what it says" campaign with a new cast of characters. The online videos featured buzzworthy talent, including Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson, Mets announcers Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez, and Mets super-fan and comedian Jim Breuer.
The videos were featured in a comprehensive multi-platform program that included social videos, pre-roll, and Snapchat-specific creative.
On Snapchat, the Mets videos proved to be extremely successful. "Fans," which featured comedian Jim Breuer and bleachers filled with real Mets fans, was the most successful Double Cash ad running on Snap. The video received an impressive 17pt lift in Brand Awareness, 24pt lift in Ad Awareness, 6pt lift in Message Awareness, and 11pt lift in Brand Favorability. The other Snap Ad, "Bat Boy," also garnered lifts across all brand health metrics: 12pt lift in Brand Awareness, 23pt lift in Ad Awareness, 4pt lift in Message Awareness, and 9pt lift in Brand Favorability.
The Facebook campaign, which included a brand study survey, succeeded in moving ad recall and awareness of the Citi Double Cash card. A 6-point lift was achieved for Brand Awareness, Citi's primary KPI, and there was a statistically significant 5-point lift for ad recall.
The videos also ran across TIME Inc.'s owned channels. These video placements outperformed CTR benchmarks (.18%) with results ranging from .31% - .50%. The videos also exceeded benchmarks for in-feed video engagement with a rate of .67% (benchmark: .2%), as well as video completion with a rate of 9.89% (benchmark: 8.79%).
