Some things just don’t go well together, and others are a perfect fit. That’s the message in a new national campaign for Capital One’s SmartLine Platinum MasterCard.
Consumer research found that Canadians want the convenience of a credit card, but with lower rates, said Clinton Braganza, senior director of brand and marketing for Capital One.
In response, Capital One launched the SmartLine Platinum MasterCard, which gives customers a long-term interest rate of 5.99% for three years, with no annual fee.
“[Consumers] really like line of credits because typically you get very low rates, so the motivation from a product development standpoint was to put these two great things together,” said Braganza.
Created by DDB Toronto, the ad campaign—a 30-second TV spot, a billboard, radio, online, direct mail, free standing inserts, and search engine marketing—compares “bad combinations” like garbage truck tourism, elevator saunas and quicksand basketball to the “great combination” of a credit card/line of credit offering. The spot closes with the familiar Capital One tag line “What’s in your wallet?”
One outdoor execution combines a drive through with a surgery, while a radio spot launching next month uses the combination of yoga and a drill sergeant. Banner ads can be found on sites like TheWeatherNetwork.com.
“By demonstrating two things that don’t go together we almost have this juxtaposition relative to a SmartLine card coming together as well,” said Braganza.
The latest effort is Capital One’s third product-focused marketing campaign and builds on the brand’s awareness levels which have increased significantly since the company first started marketing in Canada in 2005, said Braganza.
The campaign wraps up at the end of the summer, with Initiative handling the media buy.
