Citi Financial: MORE INSIDER ACCESS WITH PRIVATE PASS

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: CITI
Agency: MEC
Category: Financial Products & Services
Senior Vice President/Director Of Creative And Media: Elyssa Gray (CITI)
Manager: Aileen Ronquillo (MEC)
Senior Vice President/Media Director: Christine Dilandro (CITI)
Manager: Jessica Weis (GroupM)
Media Manager: Amy Sokotch (CITI)
Partner: Jess Jakubas (MEC)
Chief Executive Officer: Marla Kaplowitz (MEC)
Creative Lead: Ursulla Castrillon (CITI)
Senior Partner/Print: Denise Mosco (GroupM)
Senior Vice President : Kristian Baek (MEC)
Managing Partner: Melissa Campbell (MEC)
Managing Partner: Rick Acampora (MEC)

Execution
Live the product benefit through media. We developed an integrated campaign delivering 2.6 billion impressions through Paid, Owned and Earned channels. We surrounded the consumer with messaging through television, print and digital, via Facebook and Twitter, onsite at events, in branches, on ATM screens, and in bank statements.Through exclusive media partnerships, we gave the Citi card holder private access to the likes of: Light up the Night Food Festival at the Highline Park in New York, Wes Welker’s Football Clinic for families, the Big Apple Circus, a Photo Safari with National Geographic, private music performances with up and coming bands, Times Talks with Matt Damon and Yoko Ono and much more. Finally, Citi created meaningful, valuable customer benefits on-site at concerts, festivals and music events including VIP access, 'surprise and delight' moments, artist meet ‘n greets, backstage access, reserved seating, viewing decks, promotions, special offers, giveaways, and guerrilla marketing.

Effectiveness
Consumer response was massive. The campaign drove both card usage and positive consumer sentiment. Brand appeal increased by 10%. During the campaign period, ticket sales for Private Pass events increased by 429%. Overall traffic to the Private Pass site quadrupled over the previous year. Facebook posts outperformed Citi’s benchmarks by 165%. Our card members are truly feeling the benefits of the partnership…'@LTHolt0328: Citibank has officially spoiled me with the benefits I get. I always get alerts & prime seating at concerts! Spoiled rotten by Citi.'For a bank that struggled with consumer apathy, you couldn’t ask for more success.

Strategy
YOU ARE BORING CITI - In 2012 Citi was facing two major challenges. In a country where people typically have 3 or 4 credit cards, the Citi card was almost never the first card people reached for in their wallet. Moreover, in a category driven by rewards, Citi’s was seen as having the weakest rewards program of the major banks. Our mission: 'MAKE CITI EXCITING.' And our insight into breaking the apathy was simply to make people feel special by giving them something that only they could have – their own Private Pass to exclusive experiences. The solution that we developed was to revamp and relaunch Citi’s offer under Private Pass and give our customers, not only the best rewards program, but more access to exclusive experiences through media partnerships, VIP events, preferred tickets and invitations to celebrity seminars, sports camps, high profiled endorsers, and more reasons to engage with Citi.