Live it, earn it: A surprising omni-channel campaign

An unlikely partnership and marketing campaign

RBC partnered with OVO Summit to increase relevance with younger Canadians, using direct mail as an exclusive invitation that was amplified by recipients as a social badge.

How does a large traditional bank attract a new generation of young entrepreneurs who will fuel its future? Partner with Drake of course.

Looking for ways to create brand affinity with a younger generation and to promote its entrepreneurship efforts to that cohort, RBC collaborated with Drake’s lifestyle brand OVO. In particular, RBC supported the campaign to drive attendance of the OVO Summit.

Using an omni-channel approach

The Summit is an immersive conference for Canada’s young and creative entrepreneurs. To reach this audience and get it excited to buy tickets, RBC and OVO used a mix of digital and physical channels.

Billboards in downtown Toronto teased the Summit with cryptic messages [“Live it,” “Earn it”], a tactic Drake has previously used to promote album releases. A digital spot was launched about Oliver El-Khatib, one of OVO’s co-founders, along with a soundtrack scored by producer Noah “40” Shebib, an OVO Sound co-founder and frequent Drake collaborator.

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Weaving in direct mail to fuel social media engagement

And completing the omni-channel campaign was a critical element: 25,000 geo-targeted mailers aimed at Toronto-area youth between the ages of 18 and 29, many of whom snapped pics of their OVO-branded mailer and posted it on social media as an exclusive badge of honour.

The black-and-gold letter that felt more like a prestige credit card signalled the exclusive collaboration between a lion and an owl. The unexpected collaboration of a financial institution and a hip lifestyle brand created both buzz and success.