Interac has switched things up for its holiday campaign this year, focusing more on the energy that comes with spending confidently, instead of scenes of family gatherings and shopping in festively decorated stores.

But behind the scenes, the brand has also changed up its usual traditional media strategy to reach its target audience with a multi-channel digital campaign.

Although Interac has made an ad investment in line with its previous holiday advertising, the spend has mostly moved to digital, including social, online video, display and DOOH. Rather than conventional TV, Interac is using connected TV for the first time. The campaign runs until the end of December.

Matt Houghton, director of digital and integrated marketing for Interac, says with the campaign overall, the brand is focusing on going where the target audience is.

“The primary audience we’re targeting with the campaign is younger Canadians between 25 and 35. They’re very active online, very social, and early adopters of technology. We really wanted to ensure that the campaign is really intersecting with their media habits, really reaching them in the environments where they spend most of their time.”

That’s where a TikTok/Cineplex integration comes in. TikTok is one of the primary channels in the campaign overall, involving running ads on the platform and working with creators to have their content connected to the campaign via a new partnership with Cineplex. A two-minute pre-show segment on the big screen includes a curated compilation of TikTok videos suited to the general tone and message of the Interac campaign, shown before the “You’re in Charge” ad is run. There’s also a QR code that appears on screen with a call to action to scan the code to enter a contest available to only those in the theatre.

Interac is the second brand to take part in the TikTok/Cineplex experience. It was launched last month with beauty brand Deciem.

Houghton says, Interac is optimizing the campaign around consideration of Interac as a payment choice during the holidays, while in past campaigns, the brand has been optimizing more around awareness, something that TV and some other traditional media are best at.

“We wanted to be more focused on consideration and really being top of wallet for Canadians and to remind this audience of the benefits of spending with Interac around the holiday period,” he says. “Going into channels where they spend their time really led to the choice to not be investing in traditional media in the way we might have in the past.”

The whole media plan is built around the different channels and tactics to use in relation to what stage in the messaging they want to convey to the audience. CTV is the upper end of the message, reaching the audience while they’re immersed in their show – and the ads that are put in front of them.

“We’ve got other mobile optimized digital advertising, and some in-store advertising as well,” Houghton says. “Digital OOH is meant to be those nudge moments at the bottom of the journey when, ideally, we’ve already messaged people with the consideration. Now when they’re of the world, in store or in a shopping environment, you have that reminder in front of them again.”

Media Experts handled the buy, with Zulu Alpha Kilo on creative.