U.S. Bank has been around for 161 years, but its latest campaign is as modern as it gets, utilizing artificial intelligence to get it to market in less than four months.
The campaign, “The Power of Us,” is the first under chief marketing officer Michael Lacorazza, who has been in the position for seven months. Lacorazza tapped New York-based agency Supernatural AI (formerly Supernatural), instead of McCann, which U.S. Bank named its creative agency of record in 2020, to head up the campaign, and AI was utilized in the strategy to help speed up the process.
The campaign is centered around a hero film and three subsequent spots that tell the stories of what U.S. Bank, its employees and its clients can achieve together, including putting children through college or reaching retirement.
The bank created versions of the films in both English and Spanish, and viewers may recognize the voice of actor Jake Gyllenhaal in the English spots.
The campaign is designed to touch on experiences that will resonate with a large range of people, from business owners to new parents, and even U.S. Bank employees and institutional bankers.
Leaning on consumer insight
Through research and the various U.S. Bank communities, the company gained insight into its consumers and why they bank with U.S. Bank. In addition, Lacorazza gained insights of his own about the company by talking with stakeholders, and he found that the bank’s motto, “Powering Human Potential,” still resonated.
The team looked at differentiators, and a key insight was how U.S. Bank plays an important role in key moments in people’s lives, whether it’s sending their kids to college, buying a house or saving for retirement—real life, highly emotional moments.
After that, the storytelling—leaning on the stories of real customers so that consumers understand that the bank is there for them—helped form the strategy for the current campaign.
“Powering Potential” tells the U.S. Bank brand story through the moments that unite people—from clients to tellers, advisors, branch managers, commercial bankers and everyone in between. In the hero film, the audience sees the world through the eyes of real U.S. Bank employees, showing big wins and challenges.
