Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

Goals/Objectives
The goal for this campaign was to bring the issue of saving front and centre by starting a national
movement around the cause of financial literacy.
Our objectives were:
• Position Scotiabank as a leader on the issue of financial health in Canada
• Generate earned national/regional media opportunities, achieving an average MRP score of over 80%,
with a cost per contact of less than 0.05
• Launch the new Facebook page for Scotiabank and drive page views/likes for the new page, as well as
the LettheSavingBegin.com microsite
• Support business targets which included an increase in day‐to‐day chequing accounts and an uptake of
existing account holders to the Scotiabank Saving Bundle
Solution Overview
The challenge we faced was complex and multifaceted ‐ how could we break through the inertia around
saving, inspire a national 'saving movement' and generate earned media opportunities, all at the same
time? We started with the Scotiabank Saving Poll, conducted by Harris/Decima, which showed that 94
per cent of Canadians said they feel better when they have a safety net of savings, but nearly one‐third
of Canadians did not have a plan in place to achieve their saving goals. Research revealed putting aside
savings at the end of the month was a real challenge for Canadians. It wasn’t something that felt
achievable and they needed to be empowered, not scolded, to build their savings. The Let the Saving
Begin tour was an answer to this problem – a call to arms to get them engaged.
Scotiabank has an optimistic, welcoming and authentic approach to its marketing. Banking is serious
business; it can be intimidating for most. In the context of a lot of negativity around debt and savings, it
was more important to let that optimism shine through. To demonstrate this optimism and encourage
Canadians to share their views, Narrative developed the concept of a Saving Ambassador to be at the
forefront of the movement, and Scotiabank appointed former host of Canada AM, Valerie Pringle. As
Saving Ambassador, Pringle would travel the country to speak with Canadians about their financial
health. As a journalist, Pringle spoke to Canadians about everything from mental health to religion to
their antiques, so she was an ideal choice for this role because of her ability to get people to open up.
Valerie helped kick‐off a social movement by sparking conversations, listening to Canadians’ saving
challenges and encouraging people to share with others.
Social media provided a channel to connect with Canadians and played a central role in the public
relations strategy. All tour stops and discussions were captured on video and the Facebook community
was included as virtual participants along the way. All of the insights gathered on the tour were
compiled into a final report from Valerie, which will ultimately help shape future programs from
Scotiabank. It was not common for a bank to just listen and learn. The Let the Saving Begin campaign
truly differentiated Scotiabank from the other major banks who continued to focus on product
messages post‐recession.
Implementation and Challenges
Scotiabank launched the Let the Saving Begin movement with an employee rally at Scotia Plaza. In July
2010, more than 100 Scotiabank employees took to the streets of Toronto to hand out $25,000 worth of
gift cards for everyday purchases such as coffee, lunch and gas – all with the message of ‘take the
money you would have spent and save it’. The goal was to kick start the program and get Canadians
talking and thinking about saving.