A cinematic medieval knight story is not what you expect from a financial services brand. The campaign, The Quest, by Sydney creative advisory, GAME, is as different as the services challenger brand, Midkey, offers. That’s a win for the brand that stands out in a noisy, albeit imitative, sector. The national Australian campaign the very real financial stress of mid-life with humour, heart and a bit of medieval chaos. The campaign follows six knights on a mythical quest to find The Midkey – the ultimate solution to life’s big money pressures. It’s a playful spin on the struggles many Australians homeowners face in their mid-life – the stage of life when mortgages, renovations, school fees, tax bills, ageing parents and career pivots collide.
Dan Beaumont, founder and chief creative strategist at GAME Creative, commented, “The majority of financial advertising is less than engaging. We agreed with the Midkey team very early in the process that a conventional approach wasn’t going to get the job done. So we worked hard to find a more interesting way to introduce the brand. The Quest, wraps a critical product message in an epic, amusing story that entertains while it informs. Mid-life doesn’t need to be so gloomy. With Midkey you can now afford that family holiday, to the next village.”
Midkey is a first-of-its-kind “no monthly payments” loan that is either a first or second mortgage solution designed to give asset-rich but cash-poor Australians of all ages (18+) some breathing room when traditional lenders can’t help.
Richard Young, co-founder & CEO of Midkey, stated, “We created Midkey to help property owners who’ve worked hard to build equity in their homes but find themselves unable to access it when they need it. The Quest perfectly sums up our promise: to be the key that unlocks financial freedom when life gets complicated. It’s an epic idea for an epic challenge, and a clever way to introduce a new, innovative loan product to Australians.”
Marketing consultant, Anthony Dumont, who helped shape Midkey’s go-to-market strategy, said the humour was just as important as the product itself. “People in their 40s and 50s are under huge pressure – mortgages, kids, ageing parents, mounting bills, work stress. It can feel isolating and overwhelming. With The Quest, we chose to speak to them with empathy but also with a wink. It says, ‘we get it, we’ve got your back… and it’s okay to laugh at the madness of it all’.”
Jacko of Jacko Jacko & Jacko, creative lead on the campaign, added, “Unlike many campaigns that can too easily be switched out for other brands, this idea was born from the brand name and promise. And who better than Paul Middleditch of Plaza and Ian Butterworth of Louis & Co to help bring this ambitious comedic campaign to life?”
The Quest is the first major step in positioning Midkey as a fresh, fearless new player in the financial services category – one that isn’t afraid to swap the boring finance category speak for a bold story that resonates with Australians.
Credits:
Client: Midkey
Founders & Co-CEOs: Richard Young & Scott Collison
Marketing Consultant: Anthony Dumont
Head of Marketing & Communications: Kate Davies
Brand Manager: Philip Banno
Agency: GAME Creative
Founder & Chief Creative Strategist: Dan Beaumont
Creative Leader & Writer: Jacko @ JackoJacko&Jacko
Art Director & Designer: Ramon Rodriguez
Producer: Lucy Pilkington
Film Production Company: Plaza Content
Director: Paul Middleditch
Executive Producer: Peter Masterton
Editor: Jake Horne
Stills Production Company Louis&Co
Photographer: Ian Butterworth
Producer: Luke Della Santa
Radio Production: Massive Music
Media: Nunn
