Banco Popular De Puerto Rico: THE RACE OF A COUNTRY

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
Agency: JWT SAN JUAN
Category: Financial Products & Services
Advertising campaign: THE RACE OF A COUNTRY
Interactive Art Director: Daniel Vicente (JWT San Juan)
Developer: Álvaro Susena (Mdi Interactive)
Art Director: Andrés Justo (JWT San Juan)
Digital Account Director: Auribel Chaar (JWT San Juan)
Vice President Regional Creative Director: Jaime Rosado (JWT San Juan)
Associate Creative Director: Johanna Santiago (JWT San Juan)
Interactive Creative Director: Manuel Torres (JWT San Juan)
Associate Creative Director: Lizette Morazzani (JWT San Juan)
Producer: Santos Rivera (Latitude 18)
Vice President Regional Planning Director: Luis Pedro Toledo (JWT San Juan)
Vice President Marketing Strategy: Antonio Duarte-Pino (Banco Popular De Puerto Rico)
Account Executive: Coraly Sánchez (JWT San Juan)
Vice President Account Director: Juan Martínez-Paz (JWT San Juan)
Producer: Noro Sebastián (JWT San Juan)
Sound Engineer: Carlos Dávila (JWT San Juan)
Direct Marketing Director: Erika Van O'ordt (JWT San Juan)
Interactive Art Director: Juan Carlos Montes (JWT San Juan)
Interactive Account Executive: Karla Márquez (JWT San Juan)
Video Editor: Mizael Morales (JWT San Juan)
Copywriter: Pablo Torres (JWT San Juan)

Execution
By making the country see the hurdles Culson jumps as the obstacles the country needs to overcome, Popular invited Puerto Rico to run with Culson and gave his race a completely different meaning. First, it turned the entire island into a track by placing 10 giant hurdles in different locations. Each one symbolized an obstacle the country needed to overcome. Many checked-in for the chance to win a trip to the Olympics.Next, as the event began at 6AM Puerto Rican time, Popular opened an IVR phone service where people could subscribe to receive a wake-up call from Javier Culson himself just before the race. Finally, the bank partnered with Univisión and became a content provider during the Olympics. It produced a series of episodes as success stories of overcoming obstacles and even a 30-minute TV documentary about Culson that aired the night before the race.

Effectiveness
The bank was able to get awareness amidst the sponsorship clutter of the Olympics. The CEO of Banco Popular, who is synonymous with the brand in Puerto Rico, had the honor of awarding Culson the bronze medal on live TV.The TV documentary became the top-rated special during the summer.The campaign’s message set the tone for the race’s coverage by media outlets and daily newspapers, bringing it from the sports section to the front page.In a time when banks are particularly disliked, Popular’s perception and reputation indexes improved by 6-10 points in every category.

Strategy
Puerto Rico is going through the seventh year of an economic slump. Extensive surveys conducted among Puerto Ricans of all ages and classes helped us narrow down on pessimism and indifference toward work as hurdles that stood in the way of economic progress As the largest bank in Puerto Rico, Banco Popular’s success and corporate image depends on the island’s economy. In a time when banks are particularly disliked, they had to help Puerto Ricans spark a recovery. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games provided a unique opportunity to build upon a successful PR effort it had began the year before.