New BMO campaign stars Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka

BMO Influences at scale, with one of the first campaigns to use influencer generated videos and YouTube Director Mix, to launch its millennial-first credit card

The campaign stars Canada’s Drag Race superstar Priyanka, harnessing the power of influencer generated content and YouTube Director Mix video ad personalization to generate over 100+ pieces of contextual creative.

BMO Bank of Montreal’s new campaign for the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite rewards card is a global first, to combine the power of YouTube Director Mix with the custom content and persuasiveness of the influencer community.

The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite credit card is designed to meet the everyday lifestyle needs of Canadians and provide greater earning potential and flexibility on rewards. The card offers 5X the points for everyday purchases such as food delivery, coffee, groceries and ridesharing services.

These types of everyday rewards have taken on greater resonance among millennials during the pandemic—which has had a pronounced impact on consumer habits as people come to take greater joy in life’s simple pleasures and welcome solutions that enable them to abide by government restrictions and safety measures.

The campaign from FCB Canada in partnership with UM and Reprise Canada features drag superstar Priyanka, winner of the inaugural season of Canada’s Drag Race, and Quebec TV personality, author and journalist, Valerie Roberts. It consists of multiple pieces of contextually relevant creative, in English and French, designed to speak to multiple constituencies within the card’s millennial audience—such as cooking enthusiasts, fast food lovers, and TV, music and movie lovers.

The campaign uses YouTube Director Mix, a video customization tool that lets brands and agencies create multiple versions of a video customized for different audiences, languages, locations or contexts. The tool makes it possible for brands and agencies to bring personalized video ads to their customers at scale. For example, ads targeting food lovers can indicate how they can earn points on the takeout they love. Globally, this is one of the first times a campaign has used Director Mix to feature influencer generated content. The result is a truly original approach to marketing perfectly aligned with the environment in which the ads are appearing.

“With these new cards, we have re-imagined what a rewards credit card can be and are excited by the potential of this campaign to reach and connect with Millennial Canadians," said Maja Neable, Chief Marketing Officer, North American Personal and Business Banking, BMO Financial Group. "We have thoughtfully designed everything from the unique look and feel of the card to the engaging unboxing experience and great digital capabilities on top of the benefits that better fit with what Canadians are now looking for: immediate and relevant rewards.

“With these new cards, we have re-imagined what a rewards credit card can be and are excited by the potential of this campaign to reach and connect with Millennial Canadians," said Maja Neable, Chief Marketing Officer, North American Personal and Business Banking, BMO Financial Group. "We have thoughtfully designed everything from the unique look and feel of the card to the engaging unboxing experience and great digital capabilities on top of the benefits that better fit with what Canadians are now looking for: immediate and relevant rewards.

The ads take a day-in-the-life approach, showing the millennial influencers using their card to purchase and redeem rewards for everything from coffee to ridesharing services and takeout food. They are accompanied by relevant messages like “Meals arrived, so have 5X the points,” “5-star dining, meet 5X the points” and “As if takeout and TV weren’t rewarding enough.” The campaign’s OOH, social and digital components, featuring real Canadians, takes a similarly authentic approach.

“We wanted to find a way to connect with Millennials – sometimes a challenging audience – so we really had to demonstrate an understanding of how they interact with brands,” said Jennifer Rossini, Group Creative Director, FCB Canada. “Partnering with Priyanka and other relevant influencers gave us the opportunity to promote the card in a social-first, millennial context, using voices authentic to the space.”

The full YouTube Director Mix campaign broke January 18, with the full funnel campaign running through the end of February. UM Canada handled the media buy.

Agency: FCB Canada

EVP, General Manager: Tracy Little

VP, Group Account Director: Jessica Lax

Account Director: Kait Babin

Account Supervisor: Leore Davids

Account Executive: Simrath Singth

Account Director: Julie Simon

Account Executive: Veronique Rompe

Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown

VP, Strategy: Eryn LeMesurier

Strategist: Audrey Zink

Strategist: Maryse Sauve

Chief Creative Officer: Jeff Hilts & Nancy Crimi-Lamanna

Group Creative Director: Jennifer Rossini

Copywriter: Caleb McMullen

Art Director: Hussein Rumaithi

Copywriter: Etienne Soucy

Sr. Producer: Adriana Laborde

Producer: Carol Boate

Integrated Producer: Samantha Mounphosay

Production Company: Fuelcontent

Photographer: Nikki Ormerod

Audio: Grayson Music

Photography Studio: Westside Studio

Media Agency: UM Canada

North American Group Director, Head of Planning: Tim Davies

Director, Connection Planning: Ryan Hunter

Influencer Outreach: Reprise Canada

Vice President, Client Strategy: Cynthia Steele

Director, Digital Strategy: Pierre Babineau

Strategist: Maeve Findlay-Shields

Client: BMO

Chief Marketing Officer: Maja Neable

Vice President & Head of Product: Andras Lazar

Head, Marketing: Michelle Feeney

Director: Caspian Yu

Sr. Manager: Louise Adams

Sr. Manager: Jenna Eager

Sr. Manager: Tilila Idbalkassm

Sr. Marketing Manager: David Deveau

Sr. Marketing Manager: Kimberly Bushell

Sr. Marketing Executive: Alfonsa Timpano