American Express Canada has partnered with Free the Children co-founders Marc and Craig Kielburger, Survivorman star Les Stroud and Metric singer Emily Haines on a new marketing program called Room For Thought.
Launched Tuesday, the Facebook-led initiative is inviting the public to submit “big ideas” in the areas of community, travel and adventure, and music for a chance to be mentored by the respective celebrity.
Followers on the American Express Facebook page will judge the submissions, with winners in each of the three categories being invited to showcase their idea in a real-life Room for Thought in Toronto later this year. Canada is the third market to launch the program after the U.S. (where the project began) and Australia, with Mexico to follow.
David Barnes, vice-president advertising, sponsorship and communications for American Express in Markham, Ont., said the Room For Thought initiative is intended to bring the company’s global “Realize the Potential” positioning to life.
“It’s trying to bring in an element of engagement and participation so that people really get to experience the brand in a way that brings to life the essence of what we believe the brand is all about,” said Barnes.
“We like to think of ourselves as more than just a card that is a payment instrument; through our travel services, entertainment access and our global assistance program, we are there to help our customers in all aspects of their life.”
With the Room For Thought initiative, he said, American Express is attempting to reach a “broader, slightly younger set than is traditionally associated with us, and maybe more of a diverse customer base.”
While acknowledging that some consumers still consider American Express a brand catering primarily to the highly affluent because of products like the exclusive Centurion Card (known informally as the black card), Barnes said it has successfully grown its customer base through partnerships with Aeroplan and retailers like Costco without compromising its reputation as an upscale brand.
The Room For Thought program is being supported by an online and offline media campaign that includes search advertising, Facebook display and video advertising, blogger and media outreach and a 30-second TV spot featuring the celebrity mentors airing across the Bell Media network.
TV creative was overseen by Ogilvy & Mather Toronto, while its digital arm Neo@Ogilvy developed the digital creative. Mindshare handled media for the campaign, while High Road Communications is responsible for PR and Toronto agency Endeavour will oversee the creation of the physical Room For Thought.
More videos at the brand’s YouTube page.
