The Scapegoat joins ASN Bank’s ongoing animated series on sustainable banking, which aims to show ‘money can create happiness’ for people, plants and wildlife.

For over 60 years, ASN Bank has worked to foster environmental and social sustainability as the Netherlands’ most sustainable bank, and its ongoing animated series aims to show ‘money can create happiness’ for people, plants and wildlife alike. For this sixth chapter in the campaign, we helped tell a story of how protecting and restoring our ecosystems is essential to our own health and happiness – and that everyone can make a positive contribution, in their own way. But we couldn’t rely on the success of the campaign to date. Like ASN Bank continuing to reimagine sustainability for 60 years, this was about honouring brand history while delighting audiences with something a little different.
To tell this story, we introduced ‘the Scapegoat’ who is on trial for eating a flower, much to the detriment of the bees who need them to pollinate. After facing prosecution from the other fable forest creatures, it’s decided by the Wise Owl that the Scapegoat also helps fertilize a rich natural world, in his own special way. With this, we helped ASN Bank start a conversation around the ‘right’ vs ‘wrong’ discussion surrounding sustainability, showing instead that every contribution to a sustainable future counts.

Keeping to the campaign’s tactile, plush style, we created the Scapegoat’s story through a miniature set shoot enhanced with animation and compositing. But for the first time, we expanded the shoot from just one set to multiple scenes, so we could showcase not only what the fabled forest looks like now – but what it might look like if we don’t make smart choices and care for the environment. With new scenes came new characters, new crowds, and new styles too. The miniature sets were built with organic materials to emphasize the importance of nature and give each environment an authentic feel.

As the oldest sustainable bank in the Netherlands, it’s important for ASN Bank to start conversations around sustainable investments in an open, engaging, and entirely non-righteous way. With these endearing characters and pun-tastic humour, we’re able to start a conversation that doesn’t feel moralistic or judgemental.

The film aired across Dutch television channels and online and helped show that the value of money is determined by what you do with it. While the results of this particular film aren’t yet known, the ongoing series has had a huge impact on the kind of bank people choose to partner with. In 2020, ASN Bank was voted as being considered the Netherlands' most sustainable bank by consumers in the Social Brand Index, and customer numbers rose by 25%.