​Discover has fallen behind competitors in Brand Consideration with leading indicators like “Brand for Someone like Me” and “Brand I’m Proud to Use” on the decline. The brand needed a revival. The brief tasked us to create a breakthrough platform that would close the gap between how much customers love us and how little prospects know about us. The goal was lofty, especially for a 38-year-old well-established brand: Increase Brand Consideration +2 points in 6 months with a campaign that exceeds all Engagement and Persuasion benchmarks and support the high priority launch of Discover’s newest banking innovation: Discover Cashback Debit.

With its ‘treat everyone well’ ethos, Discover was perfectly positioned to push against the culture of exclusivity at a time when the world really needed it. We used this strategic underpinning to craft our creative idea: Discover is Especially For Everyone. This became our platform and our rallying cry.

To bring the idea to life in a breakthrough way, we wanted someone who our target audience would relate to and who embodies our same ethos. We found this tenfold with Jennifer Coolidge. Unlike other celebrities, she’s humble and appreciative (even quite shocked!) when people treat her well and make her feel special. As humble as she is funny, Jennifer can use her comedic timing and approach to showcase Discover’s in an eye-catching, breakthrough way.

We began by immersing ourselves in customers and their experience. We talked to them for hours, read countless reviews, and sifted through the many appreciative emails Discover receives. What we heard over and over was just how much customers value Discover’s democratized perspective on banking (no annual fees, no tiers of service, no priority phone lines) and our fair and generous offerings (cashback rewards, first year cashback match, 24/7 U.S.-based customer service). It became clear that what sets Discover apart is its ability to make every customer – no matter who they are or how much they spend – feel special and valued. Against the cultural backdrop of the ‘velvet rope’ economy and a category that’s built on reserving the best experiences for the wealthy, we identified this brand insight as the cornerstone for our campaign.

This was Discover’s most successful campaign in recent decades and perhaps, ever. We broke through in culture after only one month with the highest Branded Ad Recall in Discover’s history and the highest Ad Persuasion scores in the category and a 260% increase in social followers.

We saw growth across all major Brand Health indicators. The new campaign is helping build a reputation as a credible bank which offers innovative and rewarding bank products, and has already driven Brand Consideration (+1), Card Consideration (+2) – moved from #3 to #2, Brand Presence (+4) and Innovative of Financial Services (+4).

We’re also seeing wins with our customers and their love of the new campaign. Credit Card recommend is up +2, Checking awareness improved +10, and we have seen growth in multiple perceptions of the brand - for someone like me, gives customers a great experience, rewards leadership and cares about me.