The world of finance is abundantly populated with cute animal mascots but until recently UK bank, TSB, had David Schwimmer. Now McCann London has given it Tiny the Elephant. The aim, of course, is to make these institutions with their daunting personalities seem friendly, in TSB’s case overtly so.
Tiny is the metaphor for the financial elephant in the room. He is not scary so Brits should find it easy to talk to TSB’s Money Confidence Experts to discuss their financial concerns as Britain experiences a tough economic period. 77% of British people feel worried about the rising cost of living, and of these, over 50% worry nearly every day. With both the media and the UK Government churning out advice on how to cut back, Brits are finding it increasingly difficult to talk about money problems. Money worries have become the unspoken elephant in the room for a lot of people.
Emma Springham, chief marketing officer at TSB, stated, “This has been the dream opportunity to step back and look directly at what our purpose is. Our purpose is to help all individuals, existing customers or not, feel more confident with their money so they can get more out of life. We set out to ensure people know they can turn to us for help if they have money worries, to embrace the elephant in the room that for so many impacts every aspect of their lives including mental health. In a competitive market we briefed McCann to be brave and bold, and to create something likeable with longevity. I think Tiny has done just that. We took inspiration from the well-known phrase ‘elephant in the room’ and have created a standout brand character that with any luck will be with us for a long time to come. This is just the beginning.”
Where McCann London’s previous creative focused on the “Life” part of Life Made More – celebrating the small life moments made better when you felt confident about your money – the new campaign this year focuses on the “More”. The new direction was created by by Christopher McKee and Richard Morgan at McCann, to illuminate how by talking to TSB, the bank can help you squeeze more life out of your money.
McKee and Morgan stated, “As a nation we find it notoriously difficult to talk about our dosh. Which led us to the creation of Tiny, the ‘Elephant in the Room’ with a difference. Once you open-up about your money worries, that seemingly overwhelming elephant doesn’t seem so scary. Less towering beast over this month’s takeaway bills, cuter companion helping you devour some satay sticks. Tiny is the best friend you didn’t know you needed, inspiring confidence in the face of cost-of-living adversity. A reminder that once you face your fears, they will often feel less daunting and a little easier to manage. Like a tiny elephant.”
McCann London partnered with John Nolan Studios for the creation and build of Tiny. She is a fabricated puppet filled with animatronics to give realistic facial and trunk movements. She weighs 9.5 kilos, and at 50cm tall, she required nine puppeteers to steer her on the shoot led by puppet captain, Robert Tygner.
The campaign is led by two hero 30-second spots. This year’s voice over continues the light-hearted tone of voice that the agency introduced in 2021 via David Schwimmer. The retail campaign will run across AV, digital, TikTok and branch. Media agency, the7stars has partnered with Channel 4 to launch Tiny in an integrated way. Tiny will interact with the blocks during 5-second blipverts across an ad-break, bringing Tiny to life in a different way before introducing the new 30-second ad at the end of the break. The takeover will feature in three of Channel 4’s most-popular peak spots, including Gogglebox and Celeb Bake Off.
Credits:
Client: TSB
Chief Marketing Officer: Emma Springham
Head of Brand & Marketing: Keith Gulliver
Senior Marketing Manager: Nicholas Lancaster
Marketing Manager: Fiona Gillespie
Marketing Manager: Nicola Walker
Assistant Marketing Managers: Lauren Mason, Adam Puddy & Shona Bradley
Social Media and Content Manager: Stuart Chapman
Creative Agency: McCann London
Chief Creative Officers: Laurence Thomson & Rob Doubal
Creative Directors: Richard Morgan & Christopher McKee
Copywriter: Rory Peyton-Jones
Art Director: Elliot Lee
Managing Partner: Tom Ghiden
Business Lead: Kate Hindley
Account Director: Alex Light
Senior Account Manager: Jasmine Wallace
Senior Project Manager: Mattias Sundell
Strategy Director: Emily Ellis-Mitchell
Planner: Lucy Cairns
Head of Design: Lisa Carrana
Design Director: Max Henderson
Production: Craft London (part of McCann London)
Head of Agency Production: Amos Usiskin
Senior Producer: Gabrielle Flanagan
Senior Producer: Rebecca Wilford
Integrated Producer: Mandeep Kalsi
Music Supervision: Chris Graves
Senior Audio Engineer: Josh Younger
Business Affairs Manager: Valerie Boyce
Business Affairs Manager: Jeff Barlolong
Senior Post Producer: Alberto Boldini
VFX Artist: Matt Bulpitt
VFX Directors: Thomas Castellani & Brad Carter
Senior Editor: Isaac Crutchley & Seb Coker
Retoucher: John Martin
Artworker: Robbie Maynard
Production Company Riff Raff Films (led 2 x 30-second films)
Director: Finn Keenan
DOP: Simon Chaudoir
Executive Producer: Matt Clyde
Producer: Kate Brady
Production Manager: Savvas Stavrou
1st AD: Ben Glickman
Production Designer: Mikey Hollywood
Puppet Creative Supervisor: John Nolan
Animatronics HOD: Adam Wright
Puppet Fabricator: Rachel Gannon
Animatronic Designer: Sam Ostwald
Editing: Amanda James @ Final Cut
VFX & Colour: Absolute
Executive Producer: Lisa Vaughan
VFX Producer: Dannica Green
Lead Vfx / Flame Artist: Joe Tang
VFX shoot Supervisor: Jonas McQuiggin
Colourist: Matt Turner
Colour Producer: Ollie Ireland
Photographer: Joe Giacomet
Producer: Debbie Carmichael
Art Director: Lucy Cooper
DIT: Doma Dovgialo
Lighting: Charlotte Oldman & George House
Art Assistants: Emily English & Isabel Alsina
Production Assistant: Lilli Basham
Retail Media Agency: the7stars
Business Media Agency: Smithfield Agency
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