The government body is primarily going after homeowners, especially those worried about mortgage renewals.
By Christopher Lombardo
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada is using a heady visual metaphor to convey people’s concerns about the cost of housing.
The government body, which is responsible for protecting the rights and interests of consumers of financial products and services, has a new hero spot featuring people looking like home and condo bobbleheads engaging in everyday scenarios. The video, which directs viewers to the organization’s microsite, comes from the universality of how everyone is thinking about housing, Target creative director TJ Arch says.
People are monitoring rates and trying to make budgets, which is making buyers and prospective buyers feel insecure, Arch says. The Financial Consumer Agency was also looking for a campaign that would resonate with Canadians, which has been a challenge for the organization in the past.
“One of our areas of focus was to empathize and be relatable,” Arch says. “While it remains to be seen how the campaign will be received in market, in testing we heard time and again that people could see themselves in this work.”
Target was awarded the remit for the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada in October 2023.
The ad is targeted at a broad audience, including homeowners, first and foremost, especially those worried about mortgage renewals, Arch says. But it also is directed at Canadians thinking about home buying, who are concerned about affordability as a target, and also renters who are having a harder time balancing their budget.
The campaign runs to the end of March across various media platforms, including online video and audio, radio, digital display, out-of-home and social media.
Depending on fiscal budgets, Arch says there is a hope to renew and extend this beyond March. Cossette Media, the media AOR for the Government of Canada, handled the buy.
