The documentary "Translators" focuses on the experiences of young translators navigating language barriers for their families. The documentary does more than just promote a banking product - it shows U.S. Bank’s effort to connect on a deeper level with the Hispanic community and beyond. This not only improved the bank's image as an understanding and inclusive brand but also demonstrates the power of authentic storytelling in creating meaningful connections. The positive shift in brand perception and the increase in brand awareness among Hispanics in California reflect the success of this approach – with over 16.7B earned media impressions.

U.S. Bank expanded in California in 2023 when it acquired Union Bank. Given California is 40% Hispanic, U.S. Bank knew it needed to significantly increase awareness and engagement with this audience if it hoped to retain existing customers, as well as attract the next generation of customers in the region. When banks acquire other banks, customers find themselves with a bank they didn’t choose with lots of unknowns and uneasiness.

The truth is that only 23% of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries speak proficient English. But it increases to 94% for their grandchildren’s generation. This is largely due to the fact that the kids have access to education and are learning English faster than their parents.

Situation/Brief: When U.S. Bank expanded in California in 2023, we introduced Asistente Inteligente, the nation’s first (and only) Spanish language voice assistant for banking. Importantly, Asistente Inteligente leverages colloquial Spanish and formal Spanish, allowing people to speak and translate more authentically. This gave us something tangible to say to begin to build a relationship, but we quickly realized the product was the inspiration for connecting with Hispanics, not the message itself. In families where English is not their primary language, we found the burden of translating often falls on the shoulders of children, some as young as 6, put in a position to be wise beyond their years.

Objective: To find a way to connect with this audience in a way that felt genuine and authentic, not contrived or self-serving, which is how most bank advertising comes across.

U.S. Bank created a documentary, Translators, which told the stories of three immigrant children (Densel - 11, Harye - 13 and Virginia - 16) who represent the more than 11 million children in the U.S. who are translating for their families and helping them navigate daily life.

We could have done the traditional :30 spot touting ourselves as the “first,” but in a category plagued by mistrust, with an audience overlooked until now, that was not going to resonate. We wanted to connect with them in a way that reflected their lived experiences and made them feel seen.

Insight: Language is what enables simple things like reading food labels at the grocery store, and complex things like discussing the terms of a loan. Just like Spanish and English, banking is a language of its own.

Key Message: Language is access — access to a better life.

Target Audience: Spanish-speaking U.S. Bank customers were our core audience. But we had an opportunity to connect with a new younger, more diverse audience —especially Hispanics, and a broader ambition to connect with culture at large. We know younger consumers like brands that involve themselves in the community (88% per proprietary youth study) or would be willing to pay more for a product if they knew the brand supported an issue they care about (69% per proprietary Gen Z study).

Creation & Distribution of Assets: Through our Translators documentary in film festivals and through the media coverage around it.

"Translators" debuted at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), fostering a connection with its core Latino audience and sparking conversations about shared experiences. From this, we reached broader audiences through its showing at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Collaborations with influential figures like Leslie Grace, who shared her own translation experiences, and media placements in outlets with a deep understanding of the LatinX perspective, ensured the documentary's message resonated. The PR strategy resulted in a surge of brand awareness that reached new audiences and resulted in U.S. Bank showing up in media outlets where it never had before. U.S. Bank's role in organizing community events and screenings, from Los Angeles to Tampa, further amplified the film's impact, creating spaces for personal stories to be shared. These efforts broadened the dialogue around the role of young translators, showcasing U.S. Bank's commitment to authenticity in every aspect of the campaign.

Translators highlighted a topic that resonated in culture and connected with audiences of every ethnicity. Millions of people were talking about the most American story that had never been told.

• 16.7B+ earned media impressions (across both mainstream and Latinx publications)

• 965 earned placements

• 500M social engagements

• Winner of Best Short at Tribeca Film Festival

• Ad Age recognized Translators as the #1 DE&I effort

We increased brand awareness by 13 pts and brand consideration by 10 pts with Hispanics in the CA market. The most important change we saw in brand health metrics beyond the funnel metrics was the brand attribute for “makes me feel valued” increased by 8 points for Hispanics in CA during the same time period. “Makes me feel valued” is a significant driver of brand consideration and brand trust.

While unfamiliar to many Americans, there are several immigrant groups – notably Hispanic Americans – who deal with a unique and difficult situation regularly. When U.S. Bank expanded into California, they realized that many people in the Hispanic communities in California could not speak or write in English fluently. This causes problems - especially with something as important as banking.

In families where English is not their primary language, we found the burden of translating often falls on the shoulders of children, some as young as 6, put in a position to be wise beyond their years.

When we launched Asistente Inteligente, the nation’s first (and only) Spanish language voice assistant for banking, we found that its ability to use colloquial Spanish allowed Hispanic adults to seamlessly use our services. We needed to spread knowledge of this problem to help others create solutions.