Why a Digitally Savvy Finance Brand Decided to Go 'Old School' With a Super Bowl Ad

Despite some initial skepticism about whether it was the right move, financial services company Social Finance, or SoFi, is now all in on the Super Bowl. Part of a larger introductory campaign from creative shop Muh-tay-zik Hof-fer, one 30-second ad will appear during the game, with another running shortly before kickoff. The in-game spot looks to give consumers a taste of what exactly SoFi is and how it is different from traditional banking. The humorous approach seeks to explain the company's unique business model in a lighthearted way. "Not everyone qualifies for our products, so we didn't want to say, 'Hey everyone come in here and get a loan,'" said Joanne Bradford, chief operating officer of SoFi. The 30-second spot, which will run in the first half of the Super Bowl, was shot by director Marc Forster who is known for films like Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball and Quantum of Solace. With this campaign SoFi is looking to boost its brand awareness, though Bradford was initially leery of Muh-tay-zik Hof-fer's suggestion to go to the Super Bowl to do that. "With [my] background in digital, I was like, that's so old school, why would we do that?" said Bradford. "In the end, I went and got proposals from many digital publishers and I went and added them all, and it didn't get you the reach, the excitement or the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the marketplace in a cost-effective way. No amount of homepage takeovers, no amount of native content, no amount of posting would bring you the reach and the impact that a Super Bowl ad would." SoFi will also be running another spot shortly before the Super Bowl, leaning on consumers' distrust of traditional banking following 2008's financial crisis. The ad uses phrases like "Too big to fail," before the Big Game to get consumers curious about the company. For more Super Bowl 50 news, check out Adweek's Super Bowl Ad Tracker, an up-to-date list of the brands running Super Bowl spots and the agencies involved in creating them. CREDITS Client: SoFi Project: Great Loans for Great People Agency: MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER Executive Creative Directors: John Matejczyk, Jay Berry Associate Creative Directors: Adam Ledbury, Guy Lemberg Director of Strategy: Matt Hofherr Associate Strategy Director: Rachel Gold Designer: Bob Dinetz Head of Production: Michelle Spear Nicholson Senior Producer: Jona Goodman Suarez Producer: Megan Ubovich Account Director: Noel McKenzie-Johnson Account Supervisor: Veronika Luquin Campbell Director of Media: Eric Perko Media Strategist: Nadia Last Production / Tool Director: Marc Forster Director of Photography: Nicholas Loir Executive Producer: Robert Helphand Executive Producer: Oliver Fuselier Producer Lindsay Skutch Editorial / Arcade Editor: Kim Bica Executive Producer: Nicole Visram Post Producer: Adam Becht VFX / FRAMESTORE Senior Visual Effects Producer: James Alexander Senior Executive Producer: James Razzall Visual Effects Supervisior: Michael Ralla Executive Creative Director: Aron Hjartarson Color / Frame Store: Senior Colorist: Beau Leon Record and Final Mix / Eleven Senior Engineer: Jeff Payne Music / Squeaky Clean Composer: Rob Barbato Executive Producer: Carol Dunn Music Producer: Chris Shaw Client: SoFi Project: This Is the Beginning of a Bankless World Agency: MUH-TAY-ZIK HOF-FER Executive Creative Directors: John Matejczyk, Jay Berry Associate Creative Directors: Adam Ledbury, Guy Lemberg Creative Director: Todd Bois Designer: Bob Dinetz Head of Production: Michelle Spear Nicholson Senior Producer: Jona Goodman Suarez Producer: Megan Ubovich Account Director: Noel McKenzie-Johnson Account Supervisor: Veronika Luquin Campbell Director of Strategy: Matt Hofherr Associate Director of Strategy: Rachel Gold Director of Media: Eric Perko Media Strategist: Nadia Last Production / FURLINED Director: Douglas Avery Director of Photography: Max Goldman Head of Production: Sheila Eisenstein Senior Executive Producer: David Thorne Executive Producer: David Richards Producer Greg Haggart Editorial / WHITEHOUSE POST Editor: Brandon Porter Head of Production: Joanna Manning Post Producer: Jennifer Mersis Finishing / CARBON LA Executive Producer: Matthew McManus Color / COMPANY 3 Senior Colorist: Dave Hussey Record and Final Mix / ONE UNION Senior Engineers: Eben Carr, Matt Zipkin Music / TRAVIS + MAUDE Executive Producer: Kala Sherman

Brand Marketing

Why a Digitally Savvy Finance Brand Decided to Go 'Old School' With a Super Bowl Ad

SoFi exec says nothing could match the Big Game's reach

Kristina Monllos

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Kristina Monllos