Varo was founded for the millions of Americans left behind by traditional banks. A bank that empowers people by giving access to products & services they actually need, and that actually help them. In times of domestic unrest, democracy in upheaval, and an ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor, Varo's new brand campaign was about anchoring the company's purpose and ambition within society as a whole.

“Democratized Dollars” by VARO showcases financial opportunity and inclusion for everybody. The launch phase of the "A bank for all of us" campaign reimagines money and puts modern American consumers at the very core of the ultimate symbol for money: money.

Varo, America's first fully digital bank, is opening up to precisely this target group with the offer: money should work for all of us. The financial market in the States is highly dominated by many long-established brands, making it quite difficult for challenger brands. To make our brand philosophy loud and visible, we had to be smart with our budget. We used the highly discussed topic of the $20 note and made this financial asset work exactly for us. An integrated brand launch across TV, radio and out of home set the tone of our campaign. Online, we activated our target group with an further engaging element: an AR filter put each participant's face to create their own personal $20 note, which was afterwards shared on social media.

The campaign highlights the diversity inherent in our communities and features a range of American faces - front and center - on a reimagined $20 bill. The campaign signals Varo's support for a renewed push to put Harriet Tubman on the face of the $20, too. Next to TV-, print-, transit- and out-of-home-media Varo released an Instagram filter enabling anyone to put their face on the currency plus spreading the campaign visual on social media. Additionally, the campaign got featured on several hand painted murals activating potential customers in their neighborhoods.

The momentum of the "Democratized Dollars" case perfectly reflected the zeitgeist in the USA: a high level of support for the Varo campaign led to high access rates to the website and significantly increased first-time contract signings by 146%. A strong increase in followers of Varos social media channels was also recorded. Halle Hutchison, Chief Brand Officer at Varo puts the result into the right words: “Central to the 'A bank for all of us' campaign are visual and verbal provocations of long-held financial conventions. By questioning the status quo and asking questions that are hyper-relevant in our culture - right now - the campaign lifts the American consumer into a position of power.