Poppy Drive
HSBC Canada, The Royal Canadian Legion
Issue 57 | December 2020
Agency
Wunderman Thompson Canada
Creative Team
VP, Executive Creative Director: Ari Elkouby Creative Director: Brigitte Ledermann Design Director: Mike Butler Copywriter: Tim Das, Sébastien Dupras-Rhéaume Art Director: Lily Coyle
Production Team
Associate head of integrated content & broadcast: Jennifer Cotton Team Lead, Senior Production Artist: Patrick Conway, Sherri ODonnell Print producer: Kim Fijan Editor: John Collucci Post producer: Christine Tsao Production Coordinator: Madison Paquin Retoucher / Prepress: Andy Smits Producer: Maddy O’Shaughnessy Production Company: The Faculty Director: Daniel Kelley Manufacturing Company: Agile Manufacturing Inc. Technology Company: Avrio Solutions Inc. PR: Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Other Credits
AVP Marketing – Lending, Deposits & Cards | RBWM Marketing Canada: Chris Lee Marketing - Credit Cards & Unsecured Lending at HSBC Bank Canada: Pablo Velez Castro EVP and Head of Retail Banking & Wealth Management, HSBC Canada: Larry Tomei Strategist: Stephanie Gyles Strategist: Arielle Peters Business Director: Scott Miskie Account Director: Mike Davidson, Chitty Krishnappa Senior Project Manager: Roman Swietlik Digital Project Coordinator: Mitchell Brennan Project Manager: Alexa Legge
Date
October 2020
Background
Leading up to Remembrance Day this year Canadians had a new way of donating to the Royal Canadian Legion through a smartly designed, fully contactless Poppy box. 250 of the aptly named “Pay Tribute™” Poppy boxes were created to give Canadians choice in how they donate while preserving the tradition of wearing a lapel pin poppy as an act of Remembrance.
Idea
They were engineered to operate in an unattended fashion, not requiring a Veteran or volunteer to accompany them as they have in the past as the Legion looks to keep those most vulnerable safe during this ongoing global pandemic. Instead, the boxes were placed across the country in government buildings and retail environments including HSBC Canada bank branches.
The new boxes accepted all forms of tap enabled payment cards including mobile payments options such as Apple Pay. “The new boxes are completely cashless – a significant advancement in response to a society that is carrying less pocket change and includes the added security of donations being deposited into the Legion’s bank account immediately.” says Cindy Wong, HSBC’s regional head of marketing, North America.
The “Pay Tribute™” poppy boxes had a predetermined donation amount of $2 which allowed for a truly contactless experience – circumventing the need for donors to interact with a payment keypad to enter their donation amount. A feature which was particularly important as Canadians become more reluctant to interact with surfaces they fear may be contaminated.
Accessibility was central to the design of the new donation boxes. An illuminated poppy with a glowing white outline acted as both an indicator on where to tap to donate and a way of standing out in busy retail environments. When a donation was made, the light turned green and an audible beep could be heard making the experience accessible for the both the hearing and visually impaired.
The boxes were produced in Canada using durable, weather resistant materials which means they will last for years to come. The program and box design was spearheaded by Wunderman Thompson Canada and supported by technology provider Avrio Solutions with media handled by Touché. The campaign ran from October 26 – November 11th and spanned broadcast, social media, newspaper and a dedicated landing page at HSBC.ca/PayTribute.