Ally Bank // The Big Save

During the Big Game, we wanted to help people do something bigger with their money

 

 

ALLY WAS THE FIRST ACCOUNT I WAS HIRED TO WORK ON WHEN I STARTED AT GREY

 

A QUICK BACKSTORY…

 

When I interviewed for the role, I was mostly writing comedy spots. And being the prepared interviewer that I am, I looked back at all the previous work Grey had done for the brand, and it was clear that I was going to remain in the comedic space for a while. I was also doing stand-up at the time, so I was pretty excited to bring some fresh jokes to the table.

Then on my first day, I showed up early to catch up on all things “Ally.” Within minutes, I realized that all the work Grey had done was really hilarious. Like, really, genuinely funny. I was even given a print out of some Super Bowl work that was shown to the client the week prior, and I couldn’t stop laughing. This was the exact type of work I wanted to be a part of, and I knew the next year was going to be a blast.

I was then invited to a full-team “all hands” meeting with everyone on the account. I made my introductions and thought everyone was great.

A few minutes later, the higher-ups in the room gave us an update that the client decided they wanted to go in a different direction, tonally. Then asked if we could come up with some new work that was much more heartfelt and sentimental.

I didn’t really know anyone, so I just nodded along, and in the back of my head, thought that maybe, because this was such a funny brand, that they were successfully pulling a prank on me as the F.N.G.

I kept smiling like I was expecting everyone to break-out laughing, but after a long and silent pause, I realized that they were being serious. In other words, goodbye laughter, hello Niagara Falls.

It was at that moment that I looked over at the CD’s who were leading the account, and they both just looked at me and nodded in a way that said, “sorry, buddy.”

 
 

THE NEW DIRECTION //

Then came the re-naming of the whole campaign. It needed to connect with football, saving money, and a surprise gaming experience on the day of the Super Bowl that would give people a chance to win while watching the game. All in a way that could fit with an emotional concept.

While “The Big Save” seems like an easy solve, it was actually the last name of about 4000 different options. And once it started sticking with the rest of the team, the story arc of the teaser campaign, as well as the “campaign line” pretty much fell out from underneath.

The spots would work as teasers that led up to the Big Game giveaway. And like we originally concepted, were about real people with amazing stories about what they’ve done with their savings. Then we would end all of the spots with the line, “While brands are spending big on Big Game ads, we’ll help you do something bigger with your money.” Not bad, for a complete tonal shift.

After the news was broken to us that the brand was going in a more dramatic direction, it only took a few hours to get excited again.

The original brief was mostly the same, in which we needed to use the money Ally was going to spend on a super bowl ad, and use it to help people with their long-term financial goals.

So I thought, okay, let’s find real people, with real financial success stories, and tell them in a style that would be similar to Humans of New York. Then, as a finale, surprise these people with the news that we’d help them with their endeavors.

For some reason, I was really into Friday Night Lights at the time, and I loved how the director, Peter Berg, was able to take an entire football universe in the heart of Texas, and suck the viewer into this world that felt like we were right there in the room with the characters. I then told myself that this whole thing should feel like “Friday Night Lights, meets Humans of New York.” And that’s how this work visually came to life.

 
 

TAKEAWAY //

I think the biggest lesson I learned from all of this, was to never get too attached to a certain style of work, and learn to adapt, adjust, change voices, change tones, and even change genres at any moment. Because at any time, with any client, the creative world you’re used to playing in can get flipped upside down. So the faster you learn to adjust on the fly, the more time you’ll have to make the new work into the best thing it can be.

Regardless of the circumstances, I’m really proud of the work that came out of this project. And it ironically was a point in my career that helped me discover how much I actually loved writing in a more dramatic landscape.

In other words, everything bears fruit.

 
 

THE TEAM //

CREATIVE DIRECTOR // Matt Herr

CREATIVE DIRECTOR // Justin Bilicki

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR // Conor Champley

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR // Jamie Shin

DIRECTOR // Charlie Mysak