CIBC Appeals to First Home Buyers in Aspirational Campaign

This week, CIBC has launched their new mortgage spot, “Let’s Find Your Way,” which focuses on the emotional experience of a couple transitioning from renting to buying their first home, and how the bank supports them on their journey. The campaign, which brings CIBC’s purpose to life, was created in collaboration with global Toronto-based creative agency, Juniper Park\TBWA. 

The dream of owning a home can feel like an unattainable one. This spot tells the very topical and human story of a couple who love where they live but are facing the possibility of a move because their landlord wants to sell the property. Aligning with CIBC’s new purpose, to help make clients’ ambitions a reality, this campaign demonstrates how the bank can provide tailored plans and solutions for first-time home buyers, giving this couple the opportunity to purchase the home themselves.  

“We know being able to afford your first home is a challenge and with this spot we want to show Canadians that with the right CIBC help, this goal can be within reach,” said Esther Benzie, Vice President, Marketing & Client Communications. “The messaging of ‘CIBC Mortgages. Let’s find your way’ demonstrates how we will deliver on our tagline ‘Ambitions made real.’” 

CIBC and Juniper Park\TBWA collaborated with multi-award-winning Canadian filmmaker, Miles Jay, to bring to life a narrative-focused spot that reimagines what a bank ad can be – more human, un-glossed, and highlighting solutions that apply in real life. Juniper Park\TBWA was able to bring Miles onto the project early in the creative process, allowing the director to weave together a story that is both emotive and relatable for today’s first-time home buyers. 

“We wanted to create a spot inspired by real client stories, and no director is better at bringing these stories to life than Miles. We knew he would bring honest emotions, beautiful storytelling and do it in a way that doesn’t feel like a typical bank ad,” says Paul Little, Group Creative Director, Juniper Park\TBWA. “It’s such a challenging time to buy a first home; we wanted to capture what people are feeling, while also reminding viewers that there’s a real person trying to help on the CIBC side.”   

“As I watch my peers struggle to live up to the expectations of buying a home in early adulthood, I’m reminded of how isolating the journey can feel,” says director Miles Jay. “I was interested in CIBC’s desire to reach out to people on a human level to help them get a mortgage. Bank commercials have their own genre, and we all felt we wanted to avoid those tropes to make something that felt real; as real as the pressure to get a mortgage approval itself.” 

The fully integrated campaign is available across OOH, TV, OLV, Digital and Social. Videos were produced by OPC, with media handled by MediaCom.