Why This Canadian Bank Partnered with Julia Grosso to Bring Women’s World Cup Hype
Unfortunately, as of the writing of this article, the Canada women’s national team has been eliminated from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It’s a heartbreaking result considering the country’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but nevertheless, people across the north are proud of the effort, hustle and determination shown by the team (led by the true all-time leading international goalscorer, Christine Sinclair).
Nevertheless, the big event still goes on, even with Canada no longer in it. And the significance of that, even for the countries who’ve been knocked out, cannot be understated. For a side of the sport that, traditionally, hasn’t received the same love, attention or money the men’s game has, it’s an opportunity to change the story, and more importantly, show thousands of young girls around the world that not only can they have a future in the sport, but that people genuinely care and want them to succeed.
Included in this count is BMO, which seeks to continue expanding its reputation as the ‘The Bank of Soccer’ in Canada. Having committed over $25 million towards grassroots soccer over the past 17 years, and holding partnerships with all three MLS soccer clubs in Canada, it has pledged to grow the game in Canada, with a particular emphasis on equity and eliminating barriers to inclusion. And, as part of this, it once again partnered with FCB Canada to create a worthy World Cup campaign - this time starring up-and-coming superstar Julia Grosso. Featuring multiple short spots, the work serves as a celebration of all that women’s football means in Canada, be the team in or out of the tournament.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with FCB Canada executive creative director Jeremiah McNama, BMO VP, managing director, brand, Michael Sanders, and senior manager, Canadian brand and sponsorships advertising, Danielle O’Hanley to learn how this campaign kicked into gear.
LBB> Creating a campaign for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is no small task. As such, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Danielle> From our sponsorship of multiple MLS soccer clubs to committing millions of dollars towards grassroots soccer over the past two decades, we’ve been growing the game for a long time. We also have a distinctive set of recognised, entertaining brand assets that allowed us to considerably outperform the competition at the Men’s World Cup last fall. We wanted to build on that momentum.
Mike> While consumers strongly associate BMO with soccer, ‘growing the game’ means that more brands are going to show up - and we welcome that, especially for the women’s game! But, more brands can mean more confusion for consumers, so we knew we had to stand out.
FCB has been our lead creative partner for seven years, UM has been our media agency for five, and both partners have helped us build our brand in innovative, award-winning ways. So, of course we turned to them for this campaign!
Jeremiah> Our brief for any soccer content is to act like a fan… not a bank. We try to keep that in mind for every script.
LBB> Key for BMO is driving inclusion in the sport. How does this goal fit into the overall picture of being the bank of soccer?
Danielle> BMO is a purpose-driven brand. We describe that purpose as ‘boldly growing the good in business and life’. And, we back that up with real, meaningful commitments to building a thriving economy, sustainable future, and what we call ‘zero barriers to inclusion’. Diversity, equity and inclusion are part of every decision we make at the bank, including the choices we make in our sponsorships and advertising.
LBB> Building on this, how did you combine this goal with established creative within the writing process? And what made three spots the right approach, rather than one, headline spot?
Jeremiah> Every scenario started with a soccer insight, and we went from there. When it came to picking scripts, we leaned towards scripts that let Lamorne Morris (our spokesperson) and Julia Grosso shine together.
Mike> From a strategy perspective, one of the things we see in advertising during big sporting events is that many brands come in with big, anthemic ads. Done well, those ads can be amazing, but more often than not, consumers aren’t sure who the brand behind the ad is, and the ads blur together. We didn’t want to blend in, so we did two important things: deploy unmistakably BMO cues, like our recurring character and help desk, and produce a wide array of content to avoid consumer fatigue from seeing the same ad over and over.
LBB> As you mentioned, a headline point was the involvement of Julia Grosso. What was working with her like? Did you write the spot with her in mind?
Jeremiah> Julia was such a natural. When we were looking for an athlete to partner with, we wanted someone Canadians weren’t used to seeing every commercial break. It turned out to be a great call. She had amazing chemistry with Lamorne, and she’s having a great World Cup too. Like catching lightning in a bottle!
LBB> Benji Weinstein returned to direct the spots. What made him the right person for the job? And as a whole, what was the shooting process like?
Jeremiah> We love Benji! He directs all our brand spots and he knows the tone like the back of his hand. Every job we do with him feels more fun than the last.
We shot in a new indoor field in Pickering. The day was loose and fun, and we practiced our free kicks in between takes. I truly believe the more fun you have making the work, the more it shows in the end product.
LBB> Do you have any anecdotes from on set? And did you actually put the desk in front of a goal and have kids kick balls at and around it?
Jeremiah> We learned that despite being fans, not a single one of us is good at soccer. Thankfully, Julia picked up the slack!
As for the desk - it was in front of the goal, but Lamorne wasn’t, thanks to the magic of post.
LBB> What challenges did you face during this project? And as a whole, what lessons did you learn throughout this process?
Jeremiah> There was a lot of content to shoot in a short amount of time. We filmed something like six brand spots and 12 content pieces. It was a full day, but everyone was nicely locked in.
As for lessons: follow through on your kick and plant your off foot for more power!
Danielle> We came out of our Men’s World Cup campaign with a strong sense of how we could stand out: using our unmistakable BMO tone and brand personality; creating shorter spots that would give us maximum flexibility across broadcast, social, and digital; and working with an athlete who personifies the future of the game. We built on this winning formula and made unexpected choices based on what moves we anticipated our competitors might make. We’re seeing that pay off so far!
LBB> How does it fit into the brand’s goals for 2023 and beyond?
Mike> This campaign is part of our long term strategy to support the growth of soccer at every level, and beyond 2023, we’re looking forward to building on our presence in soccer. Our consistent use of our brand construct across the entire scope of our brand means that campaigns like this build towards our broader brand goals – consumers can immediately tell an ad is ours, whether it’s a soccer or a mortgage campaign.
LBB> Do you have a favourite of the spots?
Jeremiah> The jersey swap commercial is my favourite. Lamorne’s forced smile makes me laugh every time.
Danielle> It’s hard to pick just one! Across the team, we have a lot of heart for ‘World Record’ - it has a nice nod to one of the spots from our Men’s World Cup campaign, and not only do you see Julia Grosso’s soccer skills, but you get a glimpse at our spokesperson’s very impressive keep up skills too!
