What the world needs now is joy. Uncharted and UK cashback site, TopCashback, are giving double joy to Brits, inviting them to Summon the Power of Joy Joy in billboards across the country. The campaign, that repositions TopCashback as magical support for today’s shoppers fits within Uncharted’s new brand platform for TopChasback, Next Level Spending Powers.
TopCashback, the UK’s leading cashback site, today announces the launch of a transformative new brand platform, “Next Level Spending Powers,” created with its agency Uncharted. The platform debuts with a high-energy, multi-sensory campaign titled “Summon the Power of Joy Joy,” designed to reposition TopCashback as magical support for today’s shoppers.
The new brand strategy is based on customer research and data that revealed the real emotional value of receiving cashback in the journey, which far surpasses the rational monetary benefit. The research identified a cohort of younger customers who were less familiar with the category, but who were strongly motivated by the idea of a new way of increasing their spending power at a time when “treat funds” were being cut back.
At the heart of the campaign is the concept of double joy – the rush of a perfect purchase combined with the thrill of receiving a cashback bonus. That rush is presented as pairs of colourful characters, that serve as visual metaphors for the twin sensations. The creative uses visual and audio ASMR to elicit a physically joyful response. From the tactile fur of cuddly kittens to glistening otters and “squidgy” planets, each frame is engineered to trigger a hit of dopamine.
To ensure the work resonated with the audience, Uncharted worked with technology partner, DAIvid, refining the creative using proprietary AI testing systems to maximise emotional connection and brand memorability.
Laura Jordan Bambach, chief creative officer at Uncharted, stated, “We’ve moved away from a functional category narrative, to the visceral, physical joy and double dopamine hit of receiving cashback. By blending hand-drawn character design and traditional animation and CGI with the tactile nature of AI, we’ve created a multi-sensory language that tempts you to reach in and touch, taste and snuggle the work. The combination of the oldest and newest creative tools at our disposal represents the best of what modern advertising can deliver.”
Bambach added, “Remco Graham, our CD, wrote most of the work with me and was really the creative heart, with a straight-out-of-SCA amazing junior team helping out.”
Chris Delahunty, head of marketing at TopCashback, added, “Our mission is to help everyone switch on their dormant spending powers and experience how powerful spending can truly feel. We are incredibly grateful to Uncharted for their partnership; they have brilliantly captured the magic of our brand through a bold, multi-sensory campaign that will help us connect with a whole new generation of shoppers.”
The full campaign coversTV, cinema, outdoor, print, digital and social media.
The campaign combines craft with technology to create a unique brand landscape:
Uncharted worked with Chuckles Studios and production house Blind Pig to create characters that were hand-drawn by character illustrators before being fused with 3D, CGI, compositing and cutting-edge AI technology to generate backgrounds and transitions in animation ad build a distinctive, magical brand world.
The Blind Pig Integrated AI methodology put the creative and talent at the forefront and integrated it with state-of-the-art AI animation. With Chuckles and Uncharted, the team created a unique brand identity for the characters and campaign.
The campaign’s auditory landscape is as intentional as its visuals:
- Music: Uncharted partnered with Classics & Screen/Universal Music Publishing Group to soundtrack the campaign with a signature track by songwriter and producer, Lauren Auder, capturing a feeling of joy.
- Audio: The audio led by Factory blended the score with musical sounds rather than traditional SFX for an audio experience that blended music and SFX as one distinct sensorial track.
- New Sonic Branding: In a first for TopCashback, the campaign unveils a permanent sonic logo. Uncharted partnered with Swedish composer, Martin Åberg, to develop the audio signature, that will live now across advertising, website, app and social.
Credits
Client: TopCashback
Head of Marketing: Chris Delahunty,
Creative Agency: Uncharted
Chief Creative Officer: Laura Jordan Bambach
Creative Director: Remco Graham
Creative Team: Josh Bilimoria & Ericka Ramos
Designers: Yassa Khan & Rich Kennedy
Retoucher: Rob Dimmock
Chief Strategy Officer: Fern Miller
Chief Executive: Hattie Matthews
Business Director: Andy Gill
Producer: Nikki Cramphorn
Production Partner: Chuckles Studio
Production Company: Blind Pig
Creative Director: Ric Comline
Executive Producer: Thierry Levy
Senior Producer: Roberta Fox
Assistant Producer: Ben Riley
Audio Post-Production: Factory Studios
Sound Design & Mix: Andy Isaias
Senior Audio Producer: Olivia Endersby
Sonic Branding: Martin Åberg
Music Company: Universal Music Track
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