Chase Freedom had strong brand health and recognition, but their Freedom Unlimited product was quickly losing ground in the cash back credit card category. Competitors like Capital One, Discover, and Citi were rapidly grabbing up market share with their rich value propositions and more significant media spend. After being dark since 2016, Freedom Unlimited needed to defend its position at the top of the cash back category and drive new cardmember acquisitions. To do that we brought the Always Earning campaign to social so we could reach prospective customers where they’re most active, turning endless scrollers into Chase Freedom Unlimited cardholders.
By investigating the “internetting” habits of our target demographic we discovered that when motivation wanes, people turn to social media for quick hits of inspiration to stay focused on their goals. After doing so, we came up with the idea to introduce the “Earning Trainer” — a trustworthy, inspirational, energetic and all around likeable advisor who helps our audience find smart ways to reach their financial goals. We teamed with the sole person who had the perfect combination of hilarity and hustle to play the part, comedian Kevin Hart (rhyme absolutely not intended).
Kevin Hart popped up everywhere in the social universe, providing encouragement through his one-of-a-kind brand of comedy. He stressed that when you work hard you should earn hard with Chase Freedom Unlimited. We broke with linear storytelling in favor of a “hook-and-hold” communications framework. With Facebook and Instagram as our main channels, users scroll quickly and earning their attention in the first second is vital. To achieve the “hook,” we had Kevin Hart “break” the user’s feed by interacting with the frame of the video as if he were inside the feed. This tactic was especially effective in getting users to stop their scrolling. Our next challenge was to sustain user interest by showing Freedom Unlimited’s earning opportunities. We complemented our Instagram and Facebook placements with Pinterest and Snapchat. Pinterest delivered an audience with a favorable shopping need state while Snapchat’s Swipe Up units proved very efficient in driving clicks. This multi-pronged approach ensured we had multiple touch points in play at all times to capture our large audience across platforms, user mindsets, and creative units.
In addition to the Kevin Hart creative, we developed content across different purchase, and therefore earning, situations targeted to our audience’s interests — from parenting to fitness. These top-down GIFs delivered hard hitting card benefits and offer messaging, all while still stopping scrollers in their feed with fun stopmotion animations.
This campaign significantly drove new card acquisitions for our target prospects.
( See sensitive information section for actual numbers. )
