Did you know our neighbors to the north 🇨🇦 are required to renew their mortgage every 5 years? Canadians who bought or renewed with rock-bottom rates in 2020-21 are looking at monthly increases potentially in the thousands within the next couple of years. Terrifying.
Rocket Mortgage Canada wanted to speak to Canadians where they're at, and offer our assistance in finding some relief in this market. But how do we break through in a space dominated by big old banks that have been helping many of these families for generations?
With impactful creative and thoughtful messaging, of course. When we kicked off this project, it was for a couple of online videos to help introduce us to the market. My Art Director, Rich Chapman, and I wanted to cut through the noise with simple, relatable scenes of home and to focus on all the other things that are impacted when financial burdens arise. If we can help clients protect those things, and navigate their renewal knowing they found the very best rate they could, that felt like a win.
And so, "Not Just A Renewal" was born. A rock solid concept became two powerful scripts, packed with real moments and RTBs. Those scripts were expanded into a truly gorgeous director's treatment by wunderkind Luke Steppey. By the time we made it to review with CMO Jonathan Mildenhall, we knew we had something special. (Go ahead, ask Luke about the time he made the boss man cry in a jam-packed creative critique.)
What started as a scrappy, low-stakes project became the benchmark for creative as our organization finds its footing under our ambitious new leadership. The budget was increased 10-fold, we went from "Where can we film in Detroit that feels like Canada?" to "Does everyone have a valid passport to go to Canada?"
Below is the first spot (the second is linked in the comments). It marks a new creative era for Rocket - fueled by empathy, compassion and real human truths. Buying and financing a home is the biggest purchase many of us will ever make - maybe it's not something to joke about.
I love this project and team so much. I love creating work that's aligned with my values and my natural voice as a writer (not sure if y'all know this, but I'm a bit of a bleeding heart.) Thank you to Chelsea Kelly and Andrea Vega for invaluable insights, research and guidance. Rich, Jason Stratton, Mandy McKee and Jeff Seehorsch for your creative prowess. Elizabeth Bumbico, Julie Etheridge and Scott Currier for keeping things moving smoothly, troubleshooting, hyping up, etc. Luke and Eli Lindauer for showing Rocket through a whole new lens. And of course, to our fearless leaders Rego Marquiis, Peter Giorgi (who also stepped up as our authentic Canadian VO artist), Rachel Clark and #prouddad Jonathan Mildenhall.
Here's to many more that feel as wonderful as this one. Stay strong, Canadians! Y'all are wild for this one.
