Marketing strategy of bank utilizing unauthorized use of renowned brand logos in inventive advertisement scheme
In an innovative move, TD Bank's latest billboard campaign, aptly named "Own A Piece of It", has been capturing the attention of audiences across the country. Created by Ogilvy Canada, this clever campaign promotes the bank's fractional investing services in a way that is both simple and instantly understandable.
The billboards, which feature seemingly innocuous green billboards with square cutouts, subtly reveal fragments of iconic brand logos such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Nike, Apple, Google, and Coca-Cola. By demonstrating how everyday investors can own a slice of these brands, the visual pun cleverly avoids trademark laws.
The billboards are strategically placed to align the cutout with real-world brand signs, creating the illusion that TD Bank is "borrowing" a piece of the logos without infringing on any copyrights. This risky-yet-legal approach has sparked consumer interest and discussion, particularly among younger, digitally savvy audiences.
The photography for the billboard campaign was done by Martin Girard of Shoot Studio, and the campaign uses TD's signature green color to maintain brand identity. Ogilvy Canada's Chief Creative Officer, Francesco Grandi, described the idea as finding "a loophole the size of a window in trademark law" to visually represent fractional ownership.
Marketing managers at TD Direct Investing have praised the creativity and effectiveness of the campaign. The billboard ads in the campaign are simple, bold, colorful, and minimalist, demonstrating thoughtful marketing.
This approach to advertising is not new, as similar campaigns often rely on minimalist design, humor, and clever visual metaphors to communicate complex financial concepts and engage audiences in unexpected ways. However, the "Own A Piece of It" campaign stands out for its integration of legal strategy with creative execution, making it a notable example in outdoor advertising and financial marketing.
Reactions to the campaign have been generally positive, with appreciation for its cleverness and simplicity. However, some consumers have questioned the legality, which only adds to the buzz and conversation around the campaign. Despite this, the success of TD Bank's campaign likely inspires similar creatively risky advertising strategies in financial services and beyond.
References: [1] Ogilvy Canada. (n.d.). TD Bank - Own A Piece Of It. Retrieved from https://www.ogilvy.com/work/td-bank-own-a-piece-of-it
[2] Adweek. (2021, May 11). TD Bank's Billboards 'Steal' Iconic Brand Logos to Promote Fractional Investing. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/creativity/td-banks-billboards-steal-iconic-brand-logos-promote-fractional-investing/
[3] The Drum. (2021, May 11). TD Bank's billboard campaign 'Own A Piece Of It' uses brand logos to promote fractional investing. Retrieved from https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/05/11/td-banks-billboard-campaign-own-piece-it-uses-brand-logos-promote-fractional-investing
[4] Campaign US. (2021, May 11). TD Bank's billboard campaign 'Own A Piece Of It' uses brand logos to promote fractional investing. Retrieved from https://www.campaignus.com/article/td-banks-billboard-campaign-own-a-piece-of-it-uses-brand-logos-to-promote-fractional-investing/
- The billboard campaign, named "Own A Piece of It," created by Ogilvy Canada, is a series of green billboards displaying 3D cutouts of iconic brand logos.
- The visual pun in this campaign demonstrates how everyday investors can own a fraction of well-known brands like McDonald's, Starbucks, Nike, Apple, Google, and Coca-Cola.
- The billboards are strategically placed and designed to align the cutouts with real-world brand signs, a risky-yet-legal approach that has sparked consumer interest and discussion.
- The photography for the campaign was done by Martin Girard of Shoot Studio, and, in keeping with TD's brand identity, the campaign uses the signature green color.
- The artistic layout and minimalist design, combined with creative execution, have earned praise from marketing managers at TD Direct Investing, demonstrating thoughtful marketing.
- Innovative campaigns like this one often rely on clever visual metaphors to communicate complex financial concepts and engage audiences in unexpected ways, but TD Bank's use of legal strategy sets it apart in outdoor advertising and financial marketing.
- While some consumers have questioned the legality of the campaign, the success of TD Bank's marketing strategy likely inspires similar creatively risky advertising strategies in various industries, including finance and technology.
