Mullen Lowe launched a new campaign for Capital One, promoting its Spark Plug initiative for small businesses with a unique approach: instead of relying on business owners themselves, the agency tapped each businesses’ biggest fan, creating a total of 150 ads.
The campaign encompases print, OOH, digital and broadcast ads, including 11 spots showcasing 11 small businesses through the eyes of their biggest fans. These businesses vary from the colorful bowties of Wonder Lee 123 to gelato truck Dolci Gelati and Hat Divas (you can probably guess what they sell). Each 30-second spot ends with the message that the person just featured is a big fan of the business and so is CapitalOne. It’s a welcome departure from the typical formula of small business owners promoting such a service, making for a more emotional connection that still shows how CapitalOne helps such businesses.
“We simply wanted to capture the excitement and passion that comes from a fan’s voice, as opposed to the often calculated, more logical message that might come from an owner,” Sue DeSilva, creative director at Mullen Lowe, told Adweek. “We were committed to keeping this campaign ‘from the voice of the fans,’ so to prevent it from being confusing, we spent a lot of time working on the construct of the ads,” she added. “We put in a lot of time to ensure we kept the message as clear as possible.”
Credits:
Client: Capital One
Senior Director, Small Business Brand Strategy: Kristi Hebner
Business Director, Small Business Bank Marketing: Rohit Saroop
Senior Business Director, Small Business Bank Marketing: Matt Lattman
Brand Strategy Consultant, Small Business Brand Strategy : Heather Leonard
Marketing Project Management, Small Business Banking: Megan Givens
Agency: Mullen Lowe, Boston
Executive Creative Director: Dave Weist
Executive Creative Director: Tim Vaccarino
VP Creative Director: Sue DeSilva
VP Associate Creative Director: Andy Schneider
Associate Creative Director: Tony Frusciante
Senior Broadcast Producer: Ken Kingdon
SVP, Group Account Director: Rebekah Pagis
VP, Account Director: Jesse Brandt
Account Supervisor: Corie McNeil
Assistant Account Executive: Kate Chartier
Production Company: Cap Gun Collective
Director: Alex Fendrich
Executive Producer: Matt Abramson
Line Producer: Brooke Gaston Herstein
Editorial: Edit Bar
Editor: Michael Reuter
Assistant Editor: Jack LeMay
Colorist/On-Line Editor: Charlie Coffou
Executive Producer: Vanessa Macedo
Audio Post-Production: Soundtrack Boston
Engineer: Brian Mc Keever