Modern Love Meets Personal Debt in This Charming Spot From Credit Karma

There are few life events more significant than having a child and buying your first home. Getting there, however, can be a little difficult, especially for young Americans. If you need to read something scary this Halloween, just pick up any recent study on the student debt default bubble. Since its founding in 2007, Credit Karma has offered free credit scores, reports and insights to help consumers navigate the minefield of personal finance. But the company wants everyone to know it offers much more—a message conveyed in a new campaign called "First Steps" that launched this week. The minute-long tale of a young couple's all-too-familiar struggles marks the first collaboration between Credit Karma and hometown agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners of San Francisco. The ad, directed by Rupert Sanders of Ghost in the Shell, also features the voiceover talents of actor Justin Theroux. [kickout id="1"] Credit Karma has moved its brand forward in recent years with the help of several quirky, youth-friendly campaigns produced by its in-house team. This time, however, the company's vp of brand, creative and communications Dana Marineau said, "When it came to evolving the brand, we went to the best in the business, Margaret [Johnson] and Leslie [Barrett] of Goodby." The assignment did not include a formal review, and GS&P collaborated with the in-house team on brand positioning efforts. Marineau also noted that Credit Karma has an existing connection to the agency: Its internal group creative director, Rus Chao, worked there from 2005 to 2014. "As you know, Americans in general struggle with financial literacy and debt," Marineau said. "We want to break down those barriers and make it more digestible, relatable and understandable" through stories like the one in the ad. At the same time, she said, her company plans to use this campaign and future efforts to raise awareness of the fact that its services can help consumers with everything from "getting a personal loan to a new mortgage or a new credit card." "What I love about this particular story is that they have setbacks, as we all do," Marineau told Adweek, summing up the concept behind the ad as "small is big" in that seemingly minor steps can lead to major milestones for one family. While Credit Karma's in-house team will continue to handle a majority of its marketing efforts, Marineau said, GS&P will also regularly assist on a project-by-project basis across broadcast, digital and social efforts. CREDITS Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners Client: Credit Karma Campaign: "First Steps" Chief Marketing Officer: Greg Lull VP of Brand, Creative and Communicaitons: Dana Marineau Group Creative Director: Rus Chao Senior Director of Creative Strategy: Vicki McRae Creative Strategist: Kaitlyn Tierney Director of Brand: Mary FlorCruz Senior Brand Strategist: Lyndsay De Carolis Director of Offline Marketing: Adam Faughnan Co-Chairmen: Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein Chief Creative Officer: Margaret Johnson Executive Creative Director: David Suarez & Danny Gonzalez Associate Creative Director: Joshua Hacohen & Dan Triechel Director of Broadcast Production: Tod Puckett Executive Producer: Leila Gage Business Lead: Leslie Barrett Account Director: Lee Wilson Account Manager: Tony Billmeyer Director of Brand Strategy: Bonnie Wan Strategy Director: Kelly Evans-Pfeifer Senior Brand Strategist: Lucas Goodbody Junior Brand Strategist: Joe Krakoff Broadcast Affairs Director: Judy Ybarra Communication Strategy Director: Caitlin Neelon Communication Strategist: Catherine Kim Production Company: MJZ Director: Rupert Sanders Director of Photography: Jess Hall Executive Producer: Kate Leahy Producer: Adriana Cebada Mora Editing Company: Work Editorial LA Editor: Neil Smith (First Steps & Karaoke) Editor: Stewart Reeves (Reunion & Chess) Executive Producer: Marlo Baird Producer: Brandee Probasco VFX Company: The Mill VFX Supervisor/Creative Director: John Shirley Colorist: Adam Scott 2D Artists: Lisa Ryan, Matthew Dobrez and Dustin Padgett 3D Artist: Bill Lu Executive Producer: Anastasia Von Rahl VFX Producer: Valentina Cokonis Telecine Producåer: Liza Kerlin Music Company: Butter Music + Sound Composer: Aaron Kotler Executive Producer: Annick Mayer Producer: Stone Irr Mix: Lime Studios Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Producer: Kayla Phungglan Audio Mixer: Sam Casas

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Modern Love Meets Personal Debt in This Charming Spot From Credit Karma

Free finance company turns to GS&P

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