Hasta La Creative!

WHAT IT IS: A branded content campaign, “Beyond Money” from Santander Bank and created out of MRM/McCann Spain, earned the Entertainment Lions Grand Prix. The centerpiece of the effort is a sci-fi short film, “Cuanto, Mas All Del Dinero” (“How Much, Beyond Money”), directed by Kike Maillo. It tells the story of a woman named Lucia, played by Adriana Ugarte, who sells her most precious experiences. The film debuted in Spain with a Hollywood-style premier and sparked national conversation about the true value of money. The campaign targeted millennials and promoted the bank’s new offering to that generation. It led to Santander’s fastest sign-up rate in 160 years, and helped the company achieve 35% of its annual business goals in two weeks.

WHY IT WON: In a young category that’s going through rapid evolution, “The work that got picked as the Grand Prix is the most perfect example of a how a brand could make a statement about itself but also earn the precious time consumers are going to invest in it,” said Jury President P.J. Pereira, co-founder and chief creative officer of Pereira & O’Dell.

“What led us to ‘Beyond Money’ is that it was a great piece of film that integrated the brand in a truly seamless and meaningful way, but it didn’t just move the positioning of the brand forward. It actually moved the whole category of financial services forward by taking a brave step in getting people to really start questioning whether or not money was more important than experiences,” said juror Jason Xenopoulos, CEO & chief creative officer VML South Africa. “We felt It was an incredibly well-dramatized not just brand idea, but philosophical idea.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com