Interac Introduces Great New Holiday Ad

In our last blog, we reviewed a number of ways that using credit cards for holiday spending can help consumers to stay within their budgets. The people over at Interac, however, see things a bit differently. As expected, “Canada’s debit experts” are promoting the fact that using Interac cards over credit cards is the ideal way to use your “own” money instead of creating a looming credit card bill that indicates how much a person owes.

In a new commercial, Interac depicts this scenario with a man and woman running side by side on treadmills in a gym. On the man’s treadmill, right behind him, is a larger man dressed in a “credit card bill” suit. “Is that your trainer?” asks the woman. “It’s my holiday bill,” replies the man, “I really regret not using Interac debit. He won’t leave me alone.” As you can imagine, it’s quite the funny commercial.

Watch it HERE.

It’s especially entertaining considering that the ad uses the gym (working out, staying disciplined, keeping in shape) as a metaphor for Interac debit use. Meanwhile, the looming holiday bill is shown to be refraining from any physical activity and eating junk food while the man he won’t leave alone attempts to work out. The metaphor for credit card use, according to this depiction, is that it’s bad for you.

“Don’t get stuck with an annoying holiday bill,” says the commercial’s voice over, “Use Interac debit instead of credit.” The ad ends with a visual of the brand’s recent slogan “Be In The Black”. The new motto refers to the fact that when people use their debit cards, they are using their own money, instead of borrowing. It’s an excellent campaign that begun approximately a year ago and is still going strong.

On the Interac website, their advertising strategy is explained. “We are dedicated to talking to Canadians about the value of using their own money, to pay or exchange money with family, friends, neighbours or merchants,” explains the site, “Our message is being delivered through our ‘Interac Be in the black’ platform featuring insightful, straightforward and bold communication about why life is just better when you use your own money.”

“Our desire is that through your payment choices, you will find yourselves on the positive side of debt – in the black versus in the red,” it continues, “By paying with the money you actually have, you can enjoy the things you bought rather than worry about paying them off. Your bank balance will be truly balanced – in real time, all the time.” This isn’t the first time we’ve blogged about Interac’s marketing latest strategy. It’s actually quite clever.

But what does this mean for your business? Clearly, the ads speak to the fact that debit card use is quite popular in Canada. In fact, it’s long been known that Canadians tend to use debit cards more than anyone else in the world! The ads also point out, however, that there are still a lot of Canadians who like using their credit cards to pay for their purchases. So, for your business, accepting both credit and debit cards is of paramount importance!

Start accepting plastic today. If you haven’t already, Canadian POS Corporation can get you started within three days. If you already accept plastic, Canadian POS Corporation can have you upgraded from your current provider in about the same amount of time. Learn more about our top-notch POS terminals and incomparable customer service by giving us a call at 1-877-748-2884 today!