Athena launches ‘Perfect Match’ campaign that hits hard at the banks via The Royals, Sydney
Athena’s latest hard-hitting TV campaign via The Royals, gives viewers a direct comparison of what customers get with Athena versus the banks, using the entertaining concept of a matchmaking show.
A potential home loan customer gets to decide whether they’d enjoy being tied up… in decades of debt, or would prefer something short and sweet, in the latest TV campaign for Athena Home Loans.
Shot in the format of TV matchmaking shows, ‘Take Me Home Loan’ consists of three TV spots and charts the journey of a contestant trying to choose between Athena and Beep Bank – a traditional mortgage lender. It becomes obvious pretty quickly that this is a choice between a lender that has the customer’s best interests at heart, and one that would rather just neglect them in an unrewarding relationship.
Featuring an enthusiastic TV show host, heckling from the audience and a raft of puns, ‘Take Me Home Loan’ continues the strategy of highlighting the benefits of being with Athena versus the banks.
The TV spots are supported by social and digital advertising, and build on The Royals’ award-winning radio campaign in which Beep Bank fields queries from customers, reinforcing the confusing fees and complicated processes of traditional lenders.
Since launching in early 2019 with the brand platform ‘Love us and leave us’, Athena has been on a mission to help Australians pay off their home loan faster while giving them a great experience along the way. It delivers on this promise by passing on RBA rate cuts immediately and in full, offering an automatic rate match guarantee that promises to never give new customers better rates than existing customers on a like-for-like loan, no fees, and ‘home loan hacks’ all designed to help Australians actually pay off their loan.
Says Natalie Dinsdale, chief marketing officer at Athena: “As a challenger brand, Athena is all about executing bold, brave and differentiated marketing, calling out the behaviours of the banks that don’t act in the customers interest. The analogy of a matchmaking show provided the perfect vehicle to give the viewers a direct comparison in a humorous way and couch the dialogue in an emotive customer truth – the banks are not on your side.”
Says Seb Vizor, ECD Sydney at The Royals: “By using the well-known format of a matchmaking program, we set out to create an authentic-looking TV show, highlighting the vast differences between Athena and traditional lenders while reminding our audience that with Athena Home Loans – they can find a mortgage they can actually love.“
Client: Athena Home Loans
Creative Company: The Royals
Production Company: Rabbit
Director: Al Morrow
Producer: Marcus Butler
Offline Editor: Gabe Dowrick
Post Production: White Chocolate
Sound Design: Liam Annert, Rumble
23 Comments
Yep, this is spot on. Well done Royals
This is so engaging. The best home loan campaign I’ve seen in Aus…
Genuine LOL.
I reckon these are going to work well.
…instead of the 60 that no one ever sees.
Lovely comparison ads that do everything the client needs, delivered in a simple, entertaining way. Don’t hear that often.
Bold & brave indeed! So exciting to see a brand playing it’s own game & winning
Looks unreal. And real. Wonderful job Mr Morrow.
This is sick.
Really like it. But I wouldn’t call it “hard hitting”
Wow wee it’s a cracker.
Really unfunny, terribly shot. This is drivel.
I politely disagree. This is a very good television advertisement commercial. So funny, I almost woweed my pantaloons.
Where the hell is my cameo?
Well done
Amazing the message you can make when your mortgage broking client is not 100% owned by a big four bank. Lovely and smart work Royals.
Agree that these are the best mortgage ads going around. Interested to see if it’s an integrated campaign.
Though part of it is not true. I’m already a customer, they actually didn’t pass on 1 of the rate cuts in full. Could be seen as false advertising.
I like it – even if the jokes try a bit too hard.
I like it even if the cheese smells like an old kippers can. It’s so good, I almost decided to quit my job as a politician, moonlighting as a used car salesman to try my hand at advertising. Wow weeeeeee.
I love this ad and the Athena lady in it
Genuine question. How much would one of those actors in an ad like this earn? Say one of the contestants in this commercial?
I’m in high school and am thinking about getting into acting.
I’d love to know if anyone is kind enough to let me know. 🙂
This is a great commercial that lends itself to future episodes. The female contestant is a great cast, a little sassy, so why has the character been changed to a different actor?
I enjoy the interaction between the characters in the ad which is well scripted. Why do subsequent ads feature a different “Athena”? The ad does not seem to work the same way now.