TD Ameritrade has launched a new platform, “Where Smart Investors Get Smarter,” to show how the company will not only grow its investors’ money, but also their minds. The campaign, created in partnership with Havas New York, comes at a time when investors can finally choose a brokerage based on investing experience rather than cost.
To differentiate TD Ameritrade from other firms, the new platform positions the brand as a more meaningful trading partner, where knowledge-hungry investors can become smarter and more capable.
As TDA shifts the focus to this target, it has evolved the campaign while retaining some of its key elements. Jim, our Green Room guy, still meets with investors but is now helping them grow by demonstrating our award-winning platform thinkorswim and sharing the resources that can make someone a smarter investor. TDA is also leveraging pop culture and entertainment to appeal to its target audience.
To demonstrate the new brand positioning with “Training Montage,” TD Ameritrade looked to recreate the most iconic training montages from the Rocky franchise but with a new hero and coach. Jim and our aspiring investor, who is already confident but wants to get better, recreate scenes using Rocky’s iconic “Gonna Fly Now” soundtrack, leaving us with an unexpected and entertaining take on what it means to become a stronger, smarter investor.
At the climax of the film, one of the original characters from the Rocky franchise, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren*), makes a guest appearance – elevating the fantasy happening inside our trader’s mind. Watch the :60-second spot, directed by Furlined’s Brian Aldrich below:
*Little known fact, Dolph has a 160 IQ and might appear in a future “Where Smart Investors Get Smarter” spot.
ALSO READ: Volkswagen’s Beetle rides off into the sunset
“It started with a simple insight: knowledgeable hungry investors can go to TDA to become smarter. So we brought this insight to life, in the literal sense, by tapping into nostalgia and the successful hungry trope of one of the most powerful and unforgettable training montages from the Rocky franchise,” said Havas NY CCO Harry Bernstein. “Fueled by iconic music and imagery, we showed what this smarter training looked like from the inside of a trader’s mind. We even had Rocky star Ivan Drago—Dolph Lundgren, who has a 160 IQ—make a guest appearance, further fueling and blurring the lines of reality and daydream.”
The ad is certainly timely. With Facebook announcing Sylvester Stallone, Rocky himself, will star in their Super Bowl ads—which has already generated significant media conversation—the Rocky franchise will enjoy renewed energy in early 2020. It is also the 35th anniversary of the beloved film.
“While our marketing approach has always been grounded in cultural relevance to appeal to the modern investor, we’ve gone even sharper with ‘Training Montage.’ We’re showing both new and seasoned traders that they can become a stronger, more capable, investor in ways they’ll find light-hearted, relatable, and – most importantly – smart, ” added Kerin Morrison, managing director of brand and advertising at TD Ameritrade.
Well, any campaign that incorporates the Rocky theme and Dolph Lundgren into their spot has our vote. And this one from Havas is funny and smart, making it our “Reel Ad of the Week.”
CREDITS:
AGENCY: Havas, NY
- Chief Creative Officer: Harry Bee
- Global Executive Creative Director: Israel Garber
- Executive Creative Director: Peter Gosselin
- Group Creative Director: Jay Hunt
- Creative Director: Kevin Kearse
- Creative Director: Akos Papp
- Copywriter: Chandler Bullock
- Art Director: Allyn Scherr
- Global Client Partner: Casey Ritts
- Account Director: Angela Li
- Account Director: Mimi Powell
- Account Supervisor: Michaela DeRosa
- Account Supervisor: Stella Continanza
- Account Executive: Osama Hamed
- Account Executive: Taylor Gibbs
- Assistant Account Executive: Chris Wright
- President, Chief Strategy Officer: Tim Maleeny
- Co-Head of Strategic Planning: Elaine Purcell
- Strategy Director: Jim Howell
- Director of Communications Planning: Beth Palmer
- Senior Program Manager: Lizz Leiser
- Head of Production: Cathy Pitegoff
- Executive Broadcast Producer: Arlene Steinwald
- Junior Producer: Victoria Lepham
- Senior Talent Specialist: Yvette Aponte
- Business Affairs Manager: Diane Wolfe
PRODUCTION: Furlined
- Director: Brian Aldrich
- Executive Producer: Jay Wakefield
- Line Producer: Jason Gilbert
- Director of Photography: Corey Walter
EDIT: Arcade
- Editor: Will Hasell
- Post Producer: Andrew Cravotta
POST: The Mill
- Senior Post Producer: Luis Martin
- Colorist: Mikey Rossiter
- Lead Flame Artist: Kieran Hanrahan
MIX: Sound Lounge
- Audio Engineer: Rob DiFondi
- Producer: Lauren Mullen
SOURCE: Havas, NY
