Eugene and Dan Levy Get Honest About Finances for EQ Bank

EQ Bank has teamed up with Canadian comedy superstars and father-son duo, Eugene and Dan Levy, to bring a deep-rooted human truth about finances to light: many Canadians still use their first-ever bank account. As a result, they have missed out on significant value by paying thousands in fees while earning little-to no interest over much of their adult lives. With the beloved digital bank’s latest brand campaign, EQ Bank is raising awareness for the possibility of a second chance at Canadians’ first bank accounts.  

This marks the first time that Eugene and Dan Levy have been featured together in an advertising campaign. Given the insight at the heart of the idea, their casting is spot on.  Eugene Levy plays a father who realises the error of his ways and tries to fix the situation by showing his son, Daniel, that there is a better way to bank by switching to an EQ Bank account where customers get the best features of chequing with high interest and no fees.  

"Most parents signed their little ones up for a bank account so they could learn about money and saving from an early age,” said Eugene Levy. “The idea of highlighting the  unintended result of that decision – high bank fees and not much interest – and exploring parents’ epiphany moment was the hook that Daniel and I found funny." 

“Every parent-child relationship has had their fair share of finance talks,” added Dan Levy. “Getting the chance to satirise those conversations with my dad was a lot of fun – and a little cathartic, too.” 

'Second Chance' is the next chapter of EQ Bank’s Make Bank platform, which launched in the fall of 2022. The platform presents the world as a place geared to take and limit  people’s financial power, while showcasing EQ Bank as a driver of change to help Canadians understand they deserve more. This campaign takes a fresh spin on the core Make Bank story by shining a light on an unlikely - and unintentional - reason for today’s reality: people’s parents.

“We knew this idea was special as soon as The Hive team presented it to us,” said Mahima Poddar, SVP and group head, personal banking, EQ Bank. “Many Canadians accept bank fees and no interest for most of their lives simply because it’s what they’re used to – but it doesn’t have to be that way. We were excited at the opportunity to show  Canadians what they could be making, without the take, with a fresh approach. EQ Bank has pioneered a new era of possibility for Canadians in an account that combines the best features of chequing with the benefits of high interest and no fees. The idea of waking Canadians up to this reality of choice and challenging them to expect more from their banks really hit home for us. We believe it will ring true for many, and we’re ready to welcome them.”  

The fully integrated campaign is centred around a :30s TV spot and online video, supported by :15s TV spots, online videos, out-of-home, social, programmatic video and display advertising, all featuring Eugene and Dan Levy. The campaign launched on January 4th, 2024, and is scheduled to run throughout the year. 

“A lot of brands use a celebrity for celebrity’s sake,” said Ryan Speziale, associate creative director, The Hive. “We knew we had a great insight that would resonate with millions of Canadians, and we just needed a way to amplify our message. Partnering with a beloved father-son duo like Eugene and Dan Levy was not only hilarious and incredibly fun, but it deepened the impact of our idea further than we could have imagined.”