TD Bank’s Super Bowl Ads Tackle Taboos and Bring the Internet’s Comments Section to Life

What do conception, rashes, and flat earthers have to do with banking? One of TD Bank’s two Super Bowl ads will tell you. TD Bank will air two 60-second ads, shot by acclaimed comedy director Jeff Low, during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast in Canada. Both spots, which were developed in partnership with Ogilvy Canada, will also air in cinemas across the country.  

'Taboo Talk' provides a humorous illustration of how money has become the ultimate taboo. “It’s official. Money is the most-taboo topic in Canada,” said Francesco Grandi, chief creative officer for Ogilvy Canada. “64% of us would rather talk about sex, religion, or politics over our finances. We wanted to show just how absurd that is, in a way that gets the country talking.” 

'Don’t Listen to The Comments' puts a spotlight on the lengths people go to avoid conversations about their finances and the absurd places they will turn to for financial advice. Grandi notes: “We live in an age of misguided guidance. Especially when it comes to investing advice. There’s a lot of noise out there, and everyone claims to be an expert. We wanted to show people that when it comes to advise, there’s only one investing app you can trust.”  

Betsey Chung, Global CMO at TD Bank, said: “The creative approach is guided by ‘EVA’, a mnemonic we use about what matters most to customers and clients: “Ease” of doing business, “Value” and “Advice.” 

Michael Letsche, VP Wealth at TD Bank, said: “The Super Bowl is a unique time when people look forward to the anticipation of seeing new, fresh creative work from brands. Similar to the athletes on the ‘big day,’ we make certain every element of our campaigns is in top shape as the Super Bowl puts an extra emphasis on creative breakthrough and the entertainment value of our work.”  

These spots are the first major pieces of creative work produced for TD Bank since Francesco Grandi joined Ogilvy Canada as chief creative officer in September 2022.   

“When I took on this role and came back to Canada, I was excited to work on such an iconic brand. TD is the number one brand in the country, and we want to help make them the number one marketer,” Grandi said. “There was a lot of discussion with our client partners on where we want to take this brand, and how we can make the work more memorable. To get there, we had to push past the cliches and conservatism in the category. With these spots, we don’t try to be funny. We try to be clever with the truth. It’s a bit more journalism than comedy.”