Not Awesome - Discover, Lego | Clapboard Ad Archive

The Not Awesome campaign by The Martin Agency for Discover and LEGO launched in the United States in January 2019 and delivers a strategic fusion of finance and entertainment that leverages the cultural momentum of The LEGO Movie 2 to communicate Discover’s customer-centric policy of waiving the first late payment fee regardless of circumstance. Anchored by a single :30 film, the campaign adopts a FORMAT#12—Parody or Borrowed Format approach by playfully riffing on the iconic Everything is Awesome anthem from the LEGO franchise to humanize the financial stress of late payments with a tone that is simultaneously sympathetic and uplifting. This cross-brand collaboration harnesses LEGO’s optimistic and creative brand equity to soften the typically serious topic of late payment fees, positioning Discover as a supportive financial partner that understands the realities of consumer life without compromising the brand’s credibility in the banking and finance sector. The narrative invites viewers into a whimsical LEGO universe where setbacks are reframed as manageable and ultimately awesome moments, thus reinforcing Discover’s message of flexibility and empathy in financial services. The campaign’s single film asset was distributed across film media channels in English, maximizing reach across diverse demographics within the U.S. market, and drove direct consumer engagement by directing traffic to Discover’s dedicated late payment forgiveness webpage. By embedding the product benefit within a culturally resonant, humor-inflected context, the campaign enhances brand trust and loyalty while appealing to a broad audience that values both financial empowerment and joyful experiences. Clapboard rates this campaign 63/100 in its global creative archive. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how financial brands can effectively leverage pop culture partnerships and FORMAT#12—Parody or Borrowed Format storytelling to humanize complex service offerings and build emotional connections with consumers in an otherwise transactional category.