Managing your money like a gamer.
The essence of Bancolombia connects with its audience. But this leading Colombian bank is also looking to challenge and broaden its target audience because its approach is as broad as it is inclusive: everyone fits into the Bancolombia spectrum. That's why it decided to approach the gamer community, but not as an intruder or an opportunist, but as an entity that speaks their language, literally.
At first glance, it may seem that there is not much in common between gamers and banks. In fact, the first feeling is that the former feel zero attraction or even antipathy towards the latter. That was precisely our challenge: to get Bancolombia to engage in a relevant conversation with the gamer community and connected to their most intrinsic interests.
To approach this audience, to a certain extent "hostile", we bet on something we are convinced of: video games are also capable of fostering the development of valuable skills, both for life in general, and for financial management in particular.
This conviction took shape with the concept "Your money is not a game. Manage it like you play" and was translated into an activation: BUFFÉATE.
For those new to the subject, Buffing is the gamer term for increasing skills or abilities in a game in order to gain advantages.
For those new to the subject, Buffing is the gamer term for increasing skills or abilities in a game in order to gain advantages.
BUFFÉATE is a challenge to improve as a gamer that consisted of inviting gamers to accumulate hours of gameplay to demonstrate their skills and, at the same time, earn buffs. What were they? A map that showed the analysis of their performance in the game (speed, dexterity, aim, reflexes...), discounts on purchases of video games and related technology, and a Bancolombia credit card with a quota of $400,000.
In the campaign copy, we conveyed the message using the "dictionary definition" technique and the structure of the instructions themselves, thus creating a connection between the vocabulary used by gamers and its value beyond video games.
In terms of art direction, we created a universe in tune with the audience, captained by a 3D hand inspired by the visual references of the target. This hand became the central element to visually present the different incentives of the promotion.
In addition to the hand, a series of 3D objects were created to symbolise the elements gamers interact with when playing games, such as controllers. Backgrounds and other 2D elements with geometric shapes were also designed, with each campaign piece immersing the user almost in the screen of a videogame.
BUFFÉATE was activated through a landing page, content for social networks, banners and mail, and, piece by piece, demonstrated the brand's ability to adapt to different situations and its permeability to insights of any kind.
