Own Your World – Interac 2017 | Clapboard Ad Archive

67

Own Your World - Interac | Clapboard Ad Archive

Interac’s 2017 Own Your World campaign, created by Zulu Alpha Kilo and targeting the Canadian finance sector, takes an audaciously emotive approach to repositioning payment technology through the universal language of comfort and trust. Centered around the vivid metaphor of a giant bear hug, the film delivers a concise, one-media-asset experience that translates Interac’s offering into something instantly relatable and reassuring, casting a literal bear — the embodiment of warmth, protection, and ease — as the agent of transformation in how Canadians perceive digital payment. Eschewing the standard conventions of testimonial or product demonstration, the campaign instead deploys what Clapboard’s taxonomy defines as FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit, leveraging exaggerated visual storytelling to make the intangible promise of convenience and empowerment profoundly tangible. By setting this charming, larger-than-life device at the heart of its narrative, Interac not only sidesteps the cold, transactional imagery endemic to much of the finance category but also effectively elicits an emotional buy-in from viewers, recasting the everyday act of payment as an act of self-ownership and assurance. The campaign’s messaging aligns seamlessly with the brand’s strategic shift toward modernity without alienating reliability, positioning Interac as a financial partner that merges innovation with genuine human consideration. With more than 270,000 views, Bear | Own Your World demonstrated resonance and reach in a space where emotional storytelling often takes a back seat to utility-driven messaging, becoming a rare case where a payments brand succeeds in anthropomorphizing technology so the benefits are felt rather than explained. Clapboard rates this 67/100. In an industry long dominated by logic and fear of loss, Own Your World signals that finance brands can lead with empathy and still drive adoption of new behaviors.

Credits

Client

Interac

Agency

Zulu Alpha Kilo

Chief Creative Officer

Zak Mroueh

Executive Creative Director

Allen Oke

Creative Director Art Director

Gail Pak

Creative Director Writer

George Ault

Account Management

Rob Feightner, Hazel de Vela, Maegan Thomas

Strategic Planner

Heather Segal, Sean Bell

Producer

Pam Portsmouth, Kari Macknight Dearborn, Adam McCloy, Maggie Blouin

Clients

Andrea Danovitch, Leslie Vera, Lauren McKay

Media Agency

Media Experts

Media Agency Planners

Jenna Bendavid, Phil Borinsenko

Category Mind Map

48%

Interac’s "Own Your World" campaign, launched in Canada in 2017, positions the brand as an enabler of seamless and confident financial transactions, emphasizing ease and security in everyday payments. The campaign’s central proposition is that Interac empowers consumers to take control of their financial interactions with innovative payment options that simplify life’s moments, metaphorically represented through the warmth and embrace of a “giant bear hug.” This suggests trustworthiness, reliability, and a personal touch, reinforcing Interac’s role as a payment solution that integrates smoothly into users’ daily experiences. Strategically, the campaign leverages a relatable and imaginative creative angle—a friendly bear hug—to embody comfort and protection, attributes valuable to consumers navigating the complexities of finance. This symbolic approach seeks to evoke an emotional connection, aligning the brand with feelings of safety and personal empowerment. Targeting Canadian consumers familiar with digital payment methods, the campaign taps into the growing demand for secure, frictionless financial technologies. The visual storytelling through a film medium enhances engagement by offering both entertainment and clarity about the brand’s value proposition. Additionally, the moderate digital footprint on YouTube, evidenced by close to 270,000 views and active viewer interactions, reflects a focused targeting strategy rather than mass broadcasting, aiming to build meaningful resonance within a digitally savvy audience attentive to performance-oriented financial services.

FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. The campaign’s YouTube title, “Bear | Own your world,” and description, “Give new ways to pay a giant bear hug,” indicate the use of a literal bear or the act of giving a ‘bear hug’ as a symbolic or exaggerated representation of Interac’s product benefit: enabling new, friendlier, or more empowering payment options. Rather than telling a linear problem–solution story or using testimonial or direct demonstration, the campaign creatively employs a bear (likely as a visual metaphor for comfort, liberation, or security) to personify the confidence, ease, and empowerment users gain by choosing Interac. The playful, metaphorical device matches the ‘symbolize the benefit’ format by translating the intangible emotional benefit into a memorable, larger-than-life visual. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats

1. Visa Canada – Market Positioning Visa positions itself as a global payments technology leader, emphasizing secure, fast, and widely accepted digital payment solutions. It focuses on innovation in digital wallets, contactless payments, and broad merchant acceptance, appealing to consumers and businesses seeking reliability and cutting-edge convenience in the payments ecosystem. 2. Mastercard Canada – Market Positioning Mastercard differentiates through its commitment to inclusive financial access and technology-driven payment solutions. It highlights innovation in security, acceptance, and digital experiences, aiming to empower consumers and businesses with seamless, secure transactions and value-added rewards across diverse channels. 3. PayPal Canada – Market Positioning PayPal positions itself as a leading online and mobile payment platform, emphasizing ease, security, and global reach. It targets digital-savvy consumers and merchants by enabling quick, trusted e-commerce, peer-to-peer transfers, and international payments, with a strong focus on convenience and buyer protection. 4. RBC Royal Bank – Market Positioning RBC combines traditional banking strength with digital innovation, offering comprehensive financial services including payments, credit, and wealth management. It positions itself as a trusted, customer-centric financial institution focused on personalized service and integrating advanced digital banking solutions for Canadians. 5. TD Canada Trust – Market Positioning TD Canada Trust emphasizes its customer-first approach and extensive branch network alongside robust digital banking capabilities. It differentiates by blending accessible, trusted financial advice with convenient, technology-driven services that cater to everyday banking and payment needs of Canadian consumers and businesses.

Q: What is Own Your World about? A: Own Your World is a professional campaign created for Interac by the agency Zulu Alpha Kilo and launched in Canada in 2017. This film-based campaign uses a memorable narrative to connect with audiences, positioning Interac as a payment solution that goes beyond convenience to offer genuine care and comfort. The central creative idea is brought to life through the metaphor of a giant bear hug, symbolizing the warmth, security, and ease that Interac aims to deliver in financial transactions. The campaign targets Canadian consumers, encouraging them to embrace new payment methods with confidence. Q: What creative device does Own Your World use? A: Own Your World employs the FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT approach, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. Instead of a direct demonstration or testimonial, the campaign uses a giant bear hug as a visual metaphor to represent the comfort, security, and empowerment that Interac provides its users. This exaggerated, symbolic device translates the intangible emotional benefits of modern payment technology into a relatable and memorable image, making the product’s positive impact immediately clear and emotionally resonant for viewers. Q: What is the campaign proposition for Own Your World? A: The campaign proposition for Own Your World positions Interac as an enabler of seamless, secure, and empowering financial transactions for Canadian consumers. By metaphorically linking new payment methods to the warmth and reassurance of a bear hug, the campaign emphasizes trust, reliability, and a personal touch in everyday payments. This strategic positioning addresses the needs of a digitally savvy audience seeking both security and simplicity in financial technology, reinforcing Interac’s role as a brand that integrates smoothly into daily life and empowers users to confidently manage their financial world. Q: How does Own Your World rank in Clapboard's archive? A: Own Your World holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 67/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance within the finance category, as assessed by Clapboard’s curatorial standards. Q: Who are the competitors in Interac's category? A: In the Canadian finance and payments sector, Interac competes with major brands such as Visa Canada, which emphasizes secure and innovative digital payment solutions with broad acceptance; Mastercard Canada, which focuses on inclusive financial access and technology-driven experiences; PayPal Canada, known for its ease, security, and global reach in online and mobile payments; RBC Royal Bank, which combines traditional banking with advanced digital services; and TD Canada Trust, which differentiates through a customer-first approach and robust digital banking capabilities. Each competitor brings a distinct positioning aimed at meeting the evolving needs of Canadian consumers and businesses.