Ally Island
Read the story- Brand
- Ally Bank
- Year
- 2020
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Finance
- Mechanic
- Simulation & Strategy
- Platform
- In-Game
Objective
Ally Financial, a $172.9 billion-asset digital bank headquartered in Detroit with only 49% aided brand awareness as of September 2020, sought to reach younger audiences and increase financial literacy in the United States. The campaign addressed declining financial literacy rates by humanizing the brand and leveraging gamification—a proven educational approach—to make learning about money engaging and accessible to consumers who play video games.
Solution
Ally Island launched within Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons on October 23, 2020, as a weeklong activation creating a dedicated in-game island where players could engage with financial concepts through native game mechanics. Players traded turnips (in-game commodities) at 1,000 bells per turnip—an exceptionally favorable, record-high rate that taught currency exchange and market dynamics. The island embedded concepts like interest rates, stock prices, and real estate transactions into players' existing gameplay, with themed zones including Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR racetrack, "Little Detroit," Ally's Dream Home, showcase homes, boats, cars, and a playable-ish golf course. The launch was fronted by Twitch streamer KangGaming, who gave a guided tour to roughly 15,000 viewers before the island opened to the public, then hosted three separate streams over two weeks that each took over Twitch's front page. The campaign was promoted across Twitter, Reddit, and Twitch, with supporting digital display advertising, and included a partnership with Turnip Exchange to streamline access. The island's popularity was so high it eventually shut down early due to server congestion.
Results
The campaign generated 1.38 million Twitch views and 355 million Twitch impressions; agency case-study figures separately cite 1.83 million viewers spending their free time with a bank. Brand impact included an 8% increase in aided brand awareness and 87% positive social sentiment. Financial results showed 12% growth in net new deposits and 124% growth in customers with new deposit accounts, with agency figures putting account openings at 320% higher.
