The Brief

Our client was launching a new online share trading platform called nabtrade. The problem was that our competitor’s platform launched 15 years earlier, in 1997. They had a 15-year headstart.

Creative Execution

NAB’s (or National Australia Bank’s) cheeky, irreverent tone is now well established in Australia. Our campaign ran across cinema, television, outdoor, targeted digital, PR, print and more.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We turned their competitive advantage into a handicap. Our strategy was to draw attention to the fact that when it comes to online share trading, being old is a disadvantage. Just think of all the other terrible things that launched in the 1990s: rollerblades, MC Hammer, Beverly Hills 90210. Our campaign called upon people to “Don’t trade like it’s the 90s. Update to a platform built this century.” It drew on the worst the 1990s and all its then heroes had to offer. They wanted us to acquire 440 accounts per week throughout the campaign period with a cost per acquisition of $300.

Results

And the results were fantastic: Over 18,000 new accounts – that’s 870 accounts per week (in a market in which the number of traders has fallen by 2.5% in the last 12 months (to 615,000 traders)); Cost per acquisition of $251; 86% of new accounts were directly attributable to launch marketing activities; $500 million total footings across cash and High Interest Savings Accounts; and An additional $240 million was added to NAB Group balances.