TSB leads on BVOD for latest brand campaign

The Media Plan

TSB “Life Made More” (Media agency: the7stars)

Despite using one of the most recognisable TV faces one could think of, TSB has decided to use broadcaster video-on-demand, not linear TV, as the lead media channel for its latest brand campaign.

The new stage of the “Life Made More” campaign, featuring the Friends sitcom star David Schwimmer, allocates half of its media spend budget towards linear TV. It began on 18 January and runs until 31 March.

The campaign is running on All4, ITV Hub, Sky, STV, with only 50% of budget allocated for linear TV. TSB is using its first-party data and overlaying it with viewer data on All4, Channel 4’s VOD platform.

This is a departure from most big brand campaigns that would spend more on linear TV for mass reach and use VOD for frequency build or incremental reach for defined audience groups.

However, for this work, BVOD is used for both incremental reach, and also to drive consideration by making use of TSB’s first-party data to identify consumers who most “look like” the brand’s existing customers.

TSB launched the creative platform “Life Made More” last year, with creative by ad agency McCann London. The new spot “Savings that sneak up on you” features Schwimmer literally sneaking up on people.

Lauren Fishwick, account planning director at the7stars, said: “AV is crucial for TSB in driving both long and short-term effects in the finance category. What’s different about this campaign from the previous year, is that we’re taking the best of TV and combining it with the best of online.

“We are going from linear TV being the mainstay with multiple messages and broad programming, to shorter bursts of linear with a CTV and BVOD lead and cherry-picking the best environment based on the audience.”

TSB would not disclose how much the total campaign budget is. The7stars won TSB’s media planning and buying account in 2019, when the brand’s annual media spend was quoted at £17m.

Halo, the7stars’ proprietary creative optimisation tool, is also being used in this campaign. Halo enables the7stars to optimise video creative for digital environments and develop creative insights in real time alongside Supernova, the7stars’ in-house production studio.

Fishwick added: “Being technology neutral means the7stars is not encumbered with an unwieldy network platform, trade desk or tools. Instead, data and technology solutions are curated based on the bespoke needs of each client and built within their existing operating system.”