New Interac campaign from Zulu Alpha Kilo

Interacting with sound

September 29, 2022

New Interac campaign from Zulu Alpha Kilo

Some time ago I came across an article on the unexpected scents that could act as aphrodisiacs, seems that freshly baked cinnamon rolls hit the mark for both men and women. Who knew that the smell from our childhood kitchens could turn into a sex magnet!? Toronto Eglinton subway station, the home of a prolific cinnabun bakery, is the place to be obviously.

Businesses over the years have used scents to entice their clients whether it be home décor or apparel stores, follow your nose it always knows... or does it? How can we consumers not be swayed by the aspirational settings these scents and sounds have us reaching for?!?

Zulu Alpha Kilo presents a “Sound Shopping campaign”, a campaign they created for their client Interac to help Canadians spend mindfully. Interesting research conducted by Interac found that with inflation and rising interest rates adding pressure to many Canadian households, six in ten shoppers (62%) are looking for tools which encourage intentional spending. As a brand that aims to help Canadians stay in control of their money, Interac set out to explore creative ways to help.

The integrated Sound Shopping campaign is informed by research, runs across multiple channels and has an original music track at the heart of the experience. The intent of the track is to trigger a more mindful shopping experience, tapping into the emotional response and behavioural impact music can have, as tempo, mode and instrumentation are leveraged in different ways.

“Exploring the interplay between music and shopping behaviours is very meaningful in relation to our brand purpose of helping Canadians get more out of life by being in control of their money, and also reflects the interests and needs of our primary consumer audience who are actively on the go in their daily lives and seeking tools to help them with their finances. They also over-index in both music and shopping affinities, making this approach a natural fit to their needs and interests.”

Matt Houghton, Director of Digital and Integrated Marketing at Interac.

The track is available to listen to on Spotify and is being promoted through an integrated media plan that is geared towards sound-on environments, including Truview for Action video ads on YouTube, Tik Tok ads with influencer collaborations, and ads on the Spotify platform. In-mall posters will also feature a scannable Spotify code reaching consumers in the shopping environment itself. The look and feel of the program leverages the brand’s key colours in a graphic treatment that combines sound waves into the form of a pulsing shopping bag.

“The creative design articulates the notion of music meeting spending behaviours in a clear yet impactful way. Most people are familiar with the idea of music encouraging shopping in store, as a brand that stands for control, our goal was to encourage mindfulness instead.”

Wain Choi, Executive Creative Director at Zulu Alpha Kilo.

Credits

Client: Interac Corp.

Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo

Chief Creative Officer: Zak Mroueh

Executive Creative Director: Wain Choi

ACD/ Art Director: Michael Romaniuk

ACD/Writer: Marco Buchar

Design Director/Designer: Jeff Watkins

Designer: Ana-Marija Vlahovic

Account Team: Alyssa Guttman, Sasha Dan

Strategy Team: Spencer MacEachern, Patrick Henderson

Clients: Andrea Danovitch, Matt Houghton, Meghan Jeffery, Rachel Kellogg, Kenny Johnston, Matt Beck, Assaf Isaac