Project Overview
Begging for Your Bank’s Attention
In a crowded banking market where consumers are constantly competing for better rates, more personalized service, and greater value, getting someone's attention is only half the battle. Live Oak Bank had an opportunity to change the conversation around everyday banking by making its high-yield savings product, and the experience behind it, more memorable.
As Associate Creative Director for this project, I collaborated with our in-house creative team to develop the campaign strategy, shape the creative direction, and lead visual execution across social, print, and digital channels for our "Begging for Your Bank’s Attention," multimedia B2C campaign that turned the familiar frustrations of banking into an unexpected romantic comedy. Through humor, storytelling, and a little over-the-top affection, we brought the bank’s value proposition to life in a way that felt distinctly human, engaging, and refreshingly different from traditional financial-services advertising.
Year
2023–2024
Role
Associate Creative Director (Project-Specific)
Organization
Live Oak Bank
Contribution
Art Direction · Brand Strategy · Campaign Conceptualization · Digital Advertising · Multimedia Production · Social Media Marketing · Visual Execution
Results
208%
Brand lift generated by the multimedia B2C campaign
+9%
Increase in total website visits
7.5M
Unique impressions across campaign placements
Challenge
Getting a Little More Love from Your Bank
For many consumers, banking is a transactional relationship. Accounts, interest rates, fees, and customer service tend to blend together, making it difficult for financial institutions to stand out in an increasingly competitive market. Live Oak Bank had a compelling story to tell around its high-yield savings product, competitive value, and personalized customer service, but communicating those benefits in a traditional financial-services format risked becoming just another message in an already crowded space.
The challenge was to capture consumer attention, build awareness, and create a stronger emotional connection with prospective customers without relying on the conventional language and visual tropes of banking advertising.
We needed a campaign with personality—something entertaining enough to stop the scroll, memorable enough to build brand recognition, and compelling enough to encourage consumers to take a closer look at what Live Oak had to offer.
Campaign Strategy
A Little Romance. A Lot of Attention.
Developed entirely in-house, "Begging for Your Bank's Attention" took an unexpected approach to consumer banking by borrowing the familiar storytelling conventions of a romantic comedy.
The concept played on the idea that consumers deserve more attention from their bank, turning the search for a better banking experience into an exaggerated courtship. Through humor, relatable relationship dynamics, and cinematic storytelling, we created a playful way to introduce Live Oak's high-yield savings product and personalized service without relying on traditional financial-services advertising.
Working closely with my in-house creative team, I helped shape the campaign's visual direction and translate the central concept into a cohesive, multi-channel creative platform. The rom-com narrative provided a recognizable and flexible foundation that could extend across video, social media, and digital advertising while maintaining a consistent personality and brand message.
Art Direction
Turning a Banking Message into a Love Story
Inspired by the visual language of romantic comedies, the campaign embraced cinematic storytelling, expressive performances, and situational humor to bring the concept to life. At its center was a 60-second hero spot featuring an increasingly elaborate attempt to win someone's attention, from a handwritten "Remember Me?" sign to an impromptu street-side musical performance.
Collaborating with our in-house creative team on casting, scripting, and creative development, I focused on directing the visual execution and bringing the campaign's creative vision to life. From shaping the visual language of the hero spot to developing the supporting campaign assets, my role was to ensure that the storytelling, brand messaging, and product benefits worked together across every touchpoint.
The result was a distinctive creative approach that stepped outside the conventions of financial advertising, using the familiarity and humor of a romantic comedy to make Live Oak's consumer banking proposition more approachable, engaging, and memorable.
Multimedia Campaign
One Story. Multiple Touchpoints.
To extend the campaign beyond the hero spot, we developed a coordinated suite of multimedia assets designed to reach consumers across multiple platforms, placements, and viewing behaviors. Each execution retained the campaign's distinctive personality while adapting the storytelling, messaging, and visual hierarchy to the format and audience.
Video Advertising | YouTube & Meta
We produced and launched a series of paid and organic video assets for YouTube and Meta, including 6-, 15-, 30-, and 60-second spots. The campaign incorporated YouTube Bumper Ads, Shorts, and Meta Reels, adapting the original concept into mobile-first, short-form content built to capture attention quickly.
These video executions balanced entertainment with product education, reinforcing Live Oak's high-yield savings offering and personalized service through memorable brand reminders, search placements, and social feeds. The range of formats let the creative work across the consumer journey, from initial awareness to more intentional product consideration.
Digital Advertising | Google Display
To complement the video campaign, I designed and launched a series of targeted Google Display Ads that extended the campaign's visual identity and messaging across the digital advertising ecosystem.
The display creative translated the rom-com concept into concise, attention-grabbing executions that reinforced campaign recognition while communicating the product's core benefits. Designed for placements across search-related experiences, display inventory, and suggested feeds, these assets helped maintain a consistent brand presence beyond social and video environments.
Together, the multimedia executions created a cohesive campaign experience, allowing the same central idea to connect with consumers across formats while preserving the flexibility each channel required.
Campaign Results
Making a Lasting Impression
By combining entertainment-led storytelling with a clear product proposition, "Begging for Your Bank’s Attention" helped Live Oak Bank bring a fresh personality to its consumer marketing efforts and create a more memorable connection with prospective customers.
The campaign delivered a 208% brand lift, a 9% increase in total website visits, and 7.5 million unique impressions, demonstrating the reach and measurable impact of the integrated creative approach. It was also recognized as a Silver Winner in the B2C Multimedia Campaign category at the 2024 IHAF In-House Creativity Awards for its creative strategy and execution.
Ultimately, "Begging for Your Bank’s Attention" showed that even a traditionally transactional product could inspire an entertaining brand story—one that gave consumers a reason to stop, pay attention, and take a closer look at Live Oak Bank.
Credits
Team: Live Oak Bank Creative
Executive Producer: Mark Forest
Director/Producer: Adam Alphin
Art Director: Kyle Peeler
Photography: Chris Davis
Matt Miller
Art Direction · Design