Westpac gives away free cash through live codes ‘hidden’ in online campaign ads
A social media content campaign by Westpac has seen the bank give away $40,000 by using live codes in adverts which customers could actually use to withdraw cash.
The promotion for Westpac Get Cash, developed by DDB Australia, hid six-digit figures in plain- sight during a series of web films. When customers who might have just been trying their luck punched the code into any Westpac ATM, they were rewarded with real money in amounts from $50 up to $300.
The Get Cash service is designed for people who need cash but do not have access to their account cards.
The “offbeat and self-referential” films, featuring people in financial strife, were broadcast on the Westpac website and seeded via social platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The bank also used the Snapchat and Periscope apps, which allowed live broadcast from selected Westpac ATMs throughout Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
A statement from Westpac said the challenge was to capture the attention of the Millennial market through the online Get Cash ‘how-to’ tutorials.
DDB Group Melbourne CCO, Darren Spiller, said: “If you’re going to go all-in on social, you need to be original and you need to be bold. Let people discover your message, then reward them for getting involved.”
Elaine Herlihy, head of mass marketing services and Westpac marketing and brand, said: “The mechanics of the campaign were much more subtle than a traditional approach, in that we left it to the consumer to discover the ’rewards’ of paying attention to the online tutorials.
“We credited the audience with having a sense of humour and the curiosity to unpack the message for themselves and we’ve been thrilled by the reach we’ve achieved as a result.”
Westpac claims the campaign reached over 5.5 million viewers on social media during two weeks between July 23 and August 7.
Credits:
DDB:
Darren Spiller – Chief Creative Officer DDB Melbourne
Simon Bagnasco – Executive Creative Director DDB Melbourne
Glen Dickson – Creative Director DDB Melbourne
Chris Andrews – Art Director DDB Melbourne
Chris Hanrahan – Copywriter DDB Melbourne
Simon Thomas – Head of Onscreen DDB Melbourne
Carol Sinclair – Onscreen Producer DDB Melbourne
Marissa Brain – Editor DDB Melbourne
Alex Badham – Editor Freelance
Jimi Woo – Editor Freelance
Damian Dunne – Compositor Freelance
Josh Cameron – Motion Graphics DDB Melbourne
Grantley Hill – Director Sidekick
Marcus Ng – Senior Digital Designer Tribal Melbourne
Charlie Crang – Senior Digital Producer Tribal Melbourne
Milena Marin – Digital Designer Tribal Melbourne
Raksha Shetty – Web Developer Tribal Melbourne
Simone Blakers – Executive Lead DDB Sydney
Kristofer Taylor – Senior Business Director DDB Sydney
Angela Smith – Business Director DDB Sydney
Billie Hutchison – Business Director DDB Sydney
Nina Godinho – Business Manager DDB Sydney
Jess Glass – Business Manager DDB Sydney
Zac Messih – Business Coordinator DDB Sydney
Craig Bailey – Creative Partner DDB / RAPP Sydney
James Legge – Digital Programme Director DDB / RAPP Sydney
Damien Eames – Digital Planning Director DDB / RAPP Sydney
Sean O’Byrne – Senior Social Strategist DDB / RAPP Sydney
Margaret Sevenjhazi – Social Content Producer DDB / RAPP Sydney
Photography Christopher Tovo
Music and sound
WESTPAC:
Elaine Herlihy, Head of Marketing and Brand
Geoff Ikin, Head of Mass Media
Bella Howe, Senior Advertising Manager
Loren Elsegood, Senior Advertising Manager
Brad Pidgeon, Head of Social Media
Sophie Broad, Social Media Manager Wesptac
Carly Boyle, Senior Manager, Mass Media
Karen Ganschow, General Manager, Customer Relationship Marketing & Digital
Amy Zancanaro, Product Manager, Everyday Banking
Didnt CommBank already do something similar with the “Where’s my wallet” game that picked-up some awards recently?
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so they’ll happily give away $40K, but only give me 1% interest on my savings account? huh?
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@confused?, that’s right: brands should stop promoting any improvements they make to their products and services, and “just do price”. Ummm…
Kudos to Westpac and DDB for this clever work.
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nice spots well put together.
Just would like to know who did the grade??
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@Blind Freddy, I suppose it would make more sense if it was a campaign targetting all their customer base. Or at least the card customer base.
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