The Big Save
View the case- Brand
- Ally Bank
- Year
- 2018
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Finance
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- App
- Agency
- Jamie Shin
Objective
Ally is a branch-free digital bank built entirely around savings, and it needed a presence at the year's biggest ad stage without buying a national in-game spot. With most Americans dangerously under-saved — 57% had less than $1,000 put away, 63% couldn't cover a $500 emergency — Ally saw an opening to hijack the one night every other brand spends pushing people to spend, and use it to push people to save instead.
Solution
Before the game, you download the free app and type in what you're saving for — a house, a wedding, college. Then you wait: the game only comes alive during the actual commercial breaks of Super Bowl LII. When one hits, you open the camera and watch dollar bills rain down over your own living room, piling up on the couch and floor as if they were really there. You swipe and scoop the bills into a virtual piggy bank before the break ends, one run per break, each one a fresh shot at beating your score. Once the game's over, you submit your best run along with a short note on why you're saving, entering a draw where your story counts for 80% of the score and your gameplay for the rest.
Results
The app pulled 69,000 downloads and averaged 24,000 active players per commercial break, adding up to 600,000+ live sessions played during the breaks themselves. The savings-goal contest drew 31,000 entries. The campaign reached 211 million+ impressions, drove 1.2 million visits to the campaign microsite, and generated more than 6,300 social engagements, 89% of them positive or neutral. At its peak the app ranked #2 on Google Play and #4 on the App Store.
- 1
A TV spot featuring a real Ally customer's savings story directs viewers to download the free "Ally Big Save" app, available from January 31 through Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018.
- 2
On first launch, the player sets a personal savings goal, such as a new home, college tuition, or a wedding.
- 3
The app stays locked until the live broadcast begins on February 4; it only opens during the game's commercial breaks, starting at 6:30 PM EST, so the player waits with phone in hand between plays.
- 4
When a break starts, the player raises the phone and points the camera at their own room; virtual dollar bills fall over the live camera feed and pile up in augmented reality on the furniture and floor. The player swipes the bills across the screen into a virtual piggy bank to score points.
- 5
Each commercial break allows a single attempt: the app records that round's score and shuts the game down when the break ends. Every subsequent break during the broadcast opens a fresh attempt to beat the player's personal best.
- 6
After playing at least once, the player submits a contest entry with a short essay, no more than 1000 characters, explaining why they're saving toward their chosen goal, due by 11:59 PM EST on February 6; entry is open to US residents 18 and older.
- 7
Winners are ranked by a combined score weighting the player's best in-game result at 20% and a judged evaluation of the essay at 80%; the top entrant wins cash matching their stated goal up to $250,000, with remaining entrants paid out until the $250,000 prize pool is exhausted.
