Ad of the Day: Hilarious Greenlight ads expose archaic personal finance practices

Greenlight, a fintech company that produces a debit card, banking app and financial lessons for children, has today launched a new TV campaign that takes a delightful trip down finance’s memory lane while simultaneously celebrating brighter financial futures.

Aptly titled ‘Bring Your Family into the Financial Future,’ Greenlight’s campaign strives to equip the next generation with vital financial literacy skills while showing how far the world of banking has come thus far. By tapping into 80s and 90s nostalgia, the creative is designed to resonate particularly well with millennial parents, who likely recall those days of yore.

“Over the past year, Greenlight has significantly expanded its suite of family banking and education products. We have more to offer families than ever before and so many more stories to tell,” Devin Zimmerman, vice-president of brand at Greenlight, told The Drum. “Our new TV campaign connects with families using nostalgic humor (that both parents and kids can relate to), while showcasing the tremendous value Greenlight can bring to their everyday lives.”

The hero spot opens with a family sitting together at home. A daughter and son scroll through the Greenlight app, when their grandfather decides to impart his story with saving money: “back in our day, we used to keep our money in a mattress.” The family is then transported back in time to grandpa’s bedroom and cash stash, which promptly gets ambushed by various birds of prey.

The campaign also includes four 15-second spots depicting other comical portrayals of money management in the past. ‘Vacuum Tube,’ for example, shows how a mom used a vacuum to deposit checks, compared with Greenlight’s direct deposit feature.

A similar joke is made in ‘Coin Jar,’ which shows how kids used to keep allowance money in precarious glass jars.

The creative was ideated and developed in partnership with creative agency Haymaker. “I think it would be hard to find someone who didn’t wish they had Greenlight when they were younger,” said Natasha Hugeback, creative director at Haymaker. “Financial literacy is such a powerful tool and, unfortunately, learning about money is something most people have to learn the hard way. Working on a brand that’s dedicated to making sure every family has access to a brighter financial future for their children is so inspiring. We’re excited to share what the brand has in store for the future.”

It marks Greenlight’s first TV campaign since its breakout Super Bowl spot starring Modern Family actor Ty Burrell in 2022. Comprising a 30-second hero spot, four 15-second shorts, and six-second clips, the campaign will be broadcast across TV, digital and social media platforms.

Credits:

Creative agency: Haymaker

American production company: Epoch

Canadian production company: Skin and Bones

Editorial and VFX: Makcut

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