Why THRiVEtastic was so fantastic

It’s amazing when an idea dreamt up on a lawn at lunchtime actually comes true. THRiVEtastic is a countrywide stunt created to promote ING DIRECT’S chequing account, but it’s also a labour of love. Here are my top reasons why a day out running around with a film crew, an actress and 7000$ ruled!

Ah money to spend.
Our task was spend it all and fast and on everyone but ourselves. This must be how Santa feels. Everyone loves free stuff but paying a phone bill, now that’s real love. In Montreal we paid a bunch of bills. The novelty never wore off. 3 hardened men cracked smiles when their utility bills were paid down. A woman jumped out of a change room for a money transfer. A man in an orange sweater vowed to visit the city again thanks to his deli gift certificate. People were surprised and touched. It felt good to share.

Manic panic.
When the clock hit 9am we were off. Like a game show straight out of the 70s we raced, ducked and scurried from location to location. The energy was contagious. Collectively we had a job to do and only 7 hours. As the morning moved on nerves turned into laughs and laughs turned into high-fives. We became a team fueled on adrenaline.

The sights.
I thought I knew Montreal. It is my home town. My university alma matter. Racing around to some of the city’s most famous landmarks gave me a chance to appreciate just how awesome it is. The chocolates, smoked meat, beautiful Churches. And the people – charming, quirky and respectful of our crew. A group of people waited patiently in the cold while we set up balloons. When we gave them the go ahead, they rushed in and popped them with gusto. The twenty dollar bills inside definitely helped!

Pride.
With great power (giving away money) comes responsibility (telling people about the features and benefits of ING DIRECT’S THRiVE). Fortunately the features and benefits are actually awesome. As soon as you let people know that it’s a no-fee daily chequing account, well they can’t help but recount horror stories from chequing accounts past. People are tired of the run-around that comes with bank fees. THRiVE arrived just in time and we were fortunate enough to be the bearers of good news.

Wednesday in Montreal eating smoked meat working with talented people.
Making something out of nothing. Touching people’s lives. Achieving our business and strategic goals. Working with great people. Creating interesting work. Having cool clients who get it. It’s why I love what I do.

THRiVE was a huge hit. While I was in Montreal my colleagues Adam, Catherine and Sihan were across Canada THRiVEing it up too. Collectively we had a wicked awesome time. A big shout out goes to the crew behind the scenes who made the day happen. This was a Dashboard and ING DIRECT production with huge help from the superstars at Corner Store. As we move into phase 2 – cutting together all of the footage, I look forward to sharing the fun. Stay tuned!