Canadians have been using Interac Debit to access their money for the past 20 years, yet no one really thinks of it as a company or even a product, let alone a choice. Until recently, Interac had been the only debit option available to consumers, but there was an onslaught of credit card companies starting to move in on Interac’s turf. With new payment options like Square and PayPal to compete with, Interac Debit was in a vulnerable position. Visa Debit, in particular, was setting the stage for a direct attack against Interac – a move that would create even further confusion and potentially push Interac Debit out of the market altogether.

Quite simply, a brand platform that would give Canadians a reason to take notice of Interac and re-evaluate the payment choices they make every day was needed. So the objectives were to improve brand recall and relevance, as well as lift Interac Debit transactions by 22.5 million (3%) within the launch campaign period.

Given that Interac would be outspent media-wise by global behemoths Visa, MasterCard and American Express, radical change was needed: a full 360-degree rebrand that would touch every part of the organization and influence a bold new creative platform that would be unlike anything else in the category.

Flipping the debt-laden phrase “in the red” on its head, the statement “Be in the Black” was coined as a strong rallying cry that empowers Canadians to be financially responsible and celebrates those who choose to use their own money.

Initially, “Be in the Black” became a strategic tool to re-energize the entire Interac organization, providing a renewed sense of purpose. While the logo could not change, a new visual identity was crafted to ensure the Interac brand would consistently stand out at every touchpoint. The new brand strategy inspired Interac product development plans, re-framed employee behaviours and drove the rebranding of a new B2B product.

An audacious 60-second television spot launched in mass media, celebrating Canadians making the choice to “Be in the Black.” In the spot, everyone who chooses to pay with Interac is treated like a true rock star, backed up by the AC/DC track “Back in Black.” The narrative was further reinforced with thought-provoking OOH headlines including “Reduce stress by 19.7% a month,” “No interest in paying interest?” and “Make a payment. Not payments.”

Building on existing consumer behaviour to capture and share their purchases online, a Twitter and Instagram brand promotion further amplified the “Be in the Black” message, encouraging consumers to share a picture of their Interac Debit purchases with #InTheBlack.

Soon after the brand launch, a product-specific campaign for Interac Flash followed, demonstrating that this little-known feature offers the speediest way to pay with your own money. Through geo-targeted OOH, the brand partnered with key Interac Flash-enabled retailers, including Shoppers Drug Mart, the LCBO and McDonald’s, to design custom messaging that would reinforce Flash usage in contextually-relevant spaces.

In just under three months, the “Be in the Black” campaign generated more than 1.5 billion consumer impressions. Ad recall increased significantly for Interac versus its key credit card rivals, Visa, MasterCard and AmEx (53% versus 44.3% average).

But most importantly, after only six months in market, the new Interac brand launch delivered on the goal to influence payment choice as consumers used their Interac cards over 110 million more times than they did in the same period one year ago, beating the objective by 38.25 million transactions.