Capital One is on a mission to reimagine banking, constantly challenging the way things are done by asking what if and why not? With this in mind, they built Capital One Cafés, everything you wouldn’t expect in a bank, but love to see. A modern, accessible, welcoming and an inclusive place for visitors to relax and recharge. Simply put, everyone’s welcome, whether you bank with them or not.
At the height of the global pandemic, to comply with local mandates most Capital One Cafés were closed and once reopened were not offering its full pre-pandemic benefits to stay as safe as possible. Capital One recognized an opportunity to move a physical coffee shop experience online in a way that was still compelling enough to engage people. Agency partner 160over90 spearheaded a digital solution to create an online extension of the Capital One Café. The digital platform would exist far beyond Café footprints and would allow consumers to experience what Capital One Café stands for in a digital-first way.
160over90 created a platform that was centered around harnessing the power of a diverse set of third-party voices who would drive engagement and credibility to the differentiated Café experience.
Capital One has created Capital One Cafés to be centers of well-being — recognizing that financial, physical, mental, and community well-being are inextricably linked.
Many conversations during the pandemic with working parents at home with children, project managers with video production side-hustle, artists with a baking hobby showed that as a society, no one is just one thing anymore. Capital One Cafés were in a unique position to win the attention of Millennials by showcasing a genuine care for people and their community. This is how our strategic framework “The Blend,” came to life.
The blend concept is more than just an occupational state — it’s a mental state, a socioeconomic state, a political state. It acknowledges that we are all different, in different places — but we can come together around common good and shared goals.
We enlisted creators and thought leaders who are multi-faceted. Each of these powerful voices intersects the Café pillars of financial well-being, physical and mental well-being, and community well-being and were used to deliver a series of livestream events and produced short videos that bring the Café experience to life on an online virtual platform at CapitalOneCafeEvents.com, known as “the hub”.
Each month, 160over90 worked with the brand to explore different topics that combined money and a different aspect of well-being to drive our content and conversations. We enlisted two-time WNBA champion, mom and broadcaster Candace Parker to serve as the host of these conversations. She was paired with a roster of influencers who have authentic voices that resonate with Millennials and can authentically speak to the chosen topic.
In nine months, this program delivered on our objective of bringing a Café experience and well-being messaging to the target audience in a digital-first way by partnering with credible voices. Our program resulted in meaningful content that allowed the brand to drive brand affinity while building a foundation for Café programming in 2022.
