This year we were asked to create a Super Bowl commercial for Jovia Financial Credit Union. As many of you know we created and have managed this brand for the last five years, so reaching this point is literally an honor for us. Having said that, the one thing we knew for sure was that it could not and would not suck.
The brief was a tough one. The benchmark was set by one request: make it edgy, even shocking. Traditionally shocking means a.) high tech, b.) dark, c.) sexual, or d.) all out crazy!, none of which are appropriate for a trusted financial institution.
Two days before the presentation we reviewed our concepts as a team. Although we had a number of visually arresting approaches, we felt that we had not completely captured the power of not-for-profit banking. That night, Hope and I went to see Janelle Monáe at Radio City. During the show we kept thinking, what would Janelle do?
She is both mainstream and edgy. Janelle wouldn’t just say it, she would perform it. So what would happen if your money grew? Your life would improve. Your wallet would get fat, your purse would expand, your home would grow. What would you call this phenomenon? Jovia-itis!!!!
That night we wrote the concept and a day later presented it. “Jovia-itis is a symptom of not-for-profit banking and causes an inflammation of money and happiness.” Through the verbal description alone, we had everyone on the executive team roaring. It was a unanimous decision.
So what is the takeaway here? How do you turn a seemingly crazy idea into a broad, all encompassing concept? I guess it is a few things: listen to your clients carefully, make sure your strategy is right, keep your mind open to possibilities, and never stop until you know you’ve nailed it!
