Case Study

TD BANK CANADA

CHALLENGE

To differentiate themselves from the big five financial institutions, TD ​challenged BOOM InterTribal to create their very first fully-integrated ​Indigenous campaign. To become the bank of choice among First ​Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, TD had to first get on the consideration ​list.

The challenge was to overcome the inherent distrust among many ​Indigenous Peoples towards Corporate Canada’s institutional framework. ​This goes back centuries, to the beginning of colonialism, and is still felt ​today as the legacy and impacts of residential schools, Indian Day Schools, ​and the 60’s Scoop continue. Communities and cultures suffered greatly ​as they experienced unthinkable atrocities. Yet through strength and ​resilience, the people, and beautiful diversity within, are “Standing Proud” ​today.

SOLUTION

To win the hearts and minds of Indigenous Peoples, TD had to first ​overcome the inherent distrust towards Corporate Canada and ​organizations built on an institutional framework.

To begin the journey of Reconciliation, it was imperative that we took a ​community-led approach to address the inherent distrust.

To help our client’s; TD in this case, we help them understand that ​communications to Indigenous Peoples and communities is a niche ​craft. It’s not just about saying and doing the “right thing” it’s also ​important to do it the “right way.” To build a relationship and to earn ​the trust of the community, Clients must understand that the ​community is looking for indicators of trust. They want their voices, ​experiences, and needs to be at the centre of any conversation around ​Reconciliation. Nothing for us, without us. That’s why BOOM takes an ​Indigenous-led approach in all that we do.

From our initial engagements with TD to building the strategy to ​deploying the campaign, our Indigenous-led approach ensured that the ​project was culturally sensitive, respectful, and aligned with community ​needs.

Our process for TD included numerous focus groups comprised of ​diverse members from First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities ​across the country, including remote and Northern territories. These ​focus groups were conducted by moderators from community, which ​was integral as a non-Indigenous moderator asking the same questions ​would have received very different responses.

We also engaged and consulted with community leaders and Elders to ​secure community permissions. Another goal of these discussions was ​to ensure adherence to the values and traditions of First Nations, Inuit ​and Métis Peoples, as the campaign needed to resonate with all ​Indigenous Peoples. These community engagements helped to foster ​trust for TD as communities felt confident that knowledge shared by ​them was valued and respected. Lastly, multiple qualitative and ​quantitative studies were held to validate the creative.

We knew that TD's journey towards Reconciliation must start with ​acknowledging the Truth. So, we created the "Standing Proud" ​campaign which leveraged the insight that adversity does not build ​character, it reveals it. We didn’t dwell on adversity (Truth), but rather ​used it to provide context and act as a springboard to honour our ways ​of living – past, present, and future. The result is a celebration of culture, ​ceremony, storytelling, and strength of character through resilience.

Representation matters, so we ensured that Indigenous Peoples from ​across Canada were front and centre. Including a diverse cast of First ​Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, BOOM itself, Executive Producer, ​Director, several crew members, and a JUNO award-winning music ​artist. Not only did we want to feature a cast and talent that showed ​representation, but we also wanted an authenticity that would be ​recognized and appreciated by community. That’s why we sought out, ​built relationships with, and convinced well-known talent that they ​wanted to be part of this ensemble cast. Talent like our highly ​celebrated Anishinaabe mural artist and award winning pow wow ​dancers from First Nations, our Juno nominated Inuit throat singers, ​and are renowned Métis sash weaver.

One of the most important roles was the narrator. It was important ​that he had lived-experience to speak on behalf of Indigenous Peoples ​with sincerity and authenticity. Louis Lapatak of Saddle Lake Cree ​Nation, an Elder and Residential school survivor, narrated this ​important shared story of humanity for the TV, online videos and social ​media components.

In support of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, TD ​launched "Standing Proud" to authentically build trust and grow ​consideration among Indigenous Peoples.

Leveraging TD media platforms we held space for the voices of ​Indigenous Peoples, to lead, to story tell, to celebrate.

The 60 and 30 second Television spots set the foundation. We ​integrated web, 15 second social media, online video, and digital ​banners to help extend reach and capture the audience at multiple ​touchpoints. We also ran radio on targeted urban and rural stations ​leveraging prominent programming and culturally relevant content to ​engage listeners. Paid media spanned National broadcast as well as ​geo-targeted regional communities through local Indigenous media ​partners, and cultural channels including presence on Youtube’s ​prominent pow wow channels.

BOOM’s diverse team ensured that we approached the project with a ​deep understanding of the cultures, traditions, and aspirations of ​Indigenous communities.

RESULTS

Paid Media drove strong performance, garnering a reach of 1.4M and 7.5M ​impressions.

In paid social we saw a 45% click through rate and in YouTube alone, we ​reached 2.38 million unique users. The highest view thru rate, surpassed ​benchmarks by 93% leading to an astounding increase in web traffic of ​1025%.

Incredible results, considering the audience is less than 5% of Canada’s ​population.

BOOM INTERTRIBAL

Confidential