Creative Agency Uses Strategic Humor in Digital and Social Media Ads to Reach Millennials Ready to Make ‘Adult’ Financial Decisions. Everyone has that moment in life when they need to make an adult decision – like planning a wedding, asking for a raise, buying a house or thinking long-term about retirement. Well don’t panic, Society of Grownups can help. That’s the message behind a funny new online campaign created by Boston-based ad agency, The Fantastical, for the learning initiative designed to help people navigate the money-related adult challenges in life no one likes to talk about — the hard parts of adulthood that everyone assumes everyone else has figured out. The 5-spot campaign leverages both paid and unpaid digital and social media.
“Society of Grownups is reaching out to Millennials, so we needed to craft messaging that wasn’t only relevant and sharable, but moved at the speed of their social feed,” Steve Mietelski, Fantastical’s Managing Partner/Chief Creative Officer, says. “This isn’t really a traditional campaign. We wanted each “panic moment” to look and feel different because, in reality, you would freak out in a completely different way trying to negotiate a raise than you would buying a house.”
Society of Grownups is an actual physical location as well as an online destination where Grownups can go to learn about money from both professionals and one another in a relaxed group setting. Offerings in the space include online tools, classes, chats, supper clubs, guest speaking events and one-on-one sessions with CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals.
New York, Philly Expansion And More:
Directed by Paul Goldman of production company ModOp Films, Hollywood, the five comedic digital spots, entitled “Facing the Future,” “Double Garage,” “Salary Negotiation Auctioneer,” “Spiders and Money” and “Wedding Plan Surprise,” coincide with the organization’s announced expansion into the New York and Philadelphia markets, as well as into several soon-to-be-determined locations down south and on the west coast.
“You don’t expect this kind of comedic approach from the financial sector, it is bold and forward-thinking on the part of the client. And the innovative way they plan to socially seed the videos, through paid and unpaid media, further differentiates them. When you are done laughing at these universal moments you actually realize that there is a place that can help,” Paul Goldman, ModOp Films says.
The five spots focus on specific moments when financial issues suddenly become real. From a bride-to-be with a shocking reaction to the cost of a wedding dress; to the terrifying lengths that a husband would go to, to avoid discussing finances with his wife. Also worth noting is “Double Garage,” which in a very ‘meta’ way, references the YouTube viral classic “Double Rainbow” that has over 43 million views to date.
“The Fantastical put a lot of effort up front in understanding our brand, our message and our objective. This helped avoid the all-too-often process of missing the mark, revising, and resubmitting. Instead, our conversations focused on creating the best possible spots to reach a broad spectrum of Grownups,” Rhett Brackeen, Society of Grownups Marketing Director says.
Creative Credits:
Agency: The Fantastical, Boston, MA
Chief Creative Officers: Michael Ancevic , Steve Mietelski
Creative Director: Kerry Downey
Art directors: Iona Holloway, Samantha Hodian.
Writers: Kerry Downey, Steve Mietelski, Talia Nutting, Talia Glickman-Simon
Executive Producer: Susan Poor
Account Director: Jenn Foster
Production Company: ModOp Films, Hollywood, CA
Director: Paul Goldman
Executive Producers: Rossi Cannon, Steve Schofield
Line Producer: Beth Pearson
Edit: Chandelier Films, Boston, MA
Editor: Christo Tsiaras
Post Supervisor: Glenn Chalek
Finishing: Edit Bar, Boston, MA
Color Correct & On-line: Charlie Coffou
Audio Mix: Aberrant Sound, Boston, MA
Engineer: Brian Sargent