Interac’s new campaign to promote its tap-to-pay Flash function is, appropriately, all about proximity. The debit card company has executed location-based activations, on both OOH and mobile media, that let consumers know they are near a merchant that accepts Flash payments.

With media by Media Experts, English creative by Zulu Alpha Kilo and French creative by Tank, the Interac campaign partnered with McDonald’s, Chapters, Rabba, 7-11, Cineplex, Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, the Beer Store and LCBO to incorporate those retailers and their signature products into the creative of the ads.

Richard Ivey, chief procurement officer, Media Experts, tells MiC the OOH component includes 500 transit shelter ads in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, each hand-selected by Media Experts to ensure the unit was very close to a partner retailer. Messages like “Flash your McFlurry at McDonald’s” are present just outside McDonald’s restaurants. Ivey says the agency has done this kind of hand-picked OOH execution before, but never on this scale and with this level of scrutiny and specificity.

The campaign also uses mobile geo-fences to target users within 500 metres of 4,500 English and French merchant locations with location-specific messages. Smartphone users see a directional message letting them know they are only “one block away” from the flash-enabled merchant and have the ability to click on a link which would map the location and give the user directions to the retail store.

The campaign, which launched in mid-April and runs through June, is supported by national TV, cinema buys, mobile display and video, as well as search with a buying target of adults 25 to 54. Ivey says the goal of the campaign was to reach customers who already have the Flash function on their debit cards but either aren’t aware or don’t use it. The purpose of location targeting was to reach customers when they were close to the point of sale.