Funny business with Barclays payment app

Author: CIM COM

In a connected world, marketers have so many possibilities to reinvent traditional products and services, and transform the customer’s brand experience. Not long ago Barclays rolled out a viral campaign to promote the mobile payment app, Pingit. It was Europe’s first money-sending mobile service, and Barclays had to find a way to introduce it to customers across the UK, having initially made it available to Barclays customers only. The app links your bank account to your mobile and allows you to make person to person payments, well mobile to mobile that is. To launch the new banking service, Barclays created a humorous viral ad.

“Pay or we’ll send the boy round”

When it comes to money, it’s serious. So Barclays approach to promote the payment app defied convention and used humour! The funny advert gives a whole new meaning to the expression, “pay or we’ll send the boys round”. The creative treatment features one menacing small boy reminding an office worker that he owes money to his friend for a pizza, and telling him to settle up with Pingit. The ad has standout value due to the incongruent nature of a small cherubic child demanding money from an adult with threatening behaviour before heading off to his piano lesson.

Take a look. Barclays Pingit: Sort out your IOUs sharpish

The online video demonstrates that customers have a clear choice when they’re owed money. They could send the boy round or ask them to settle up with Pingit. Once you’ve seen the full force of the young lad’s approach, Pingit seems like a very friendly and sensible alternative.

The ad was featured on Barclays Facebook page. With interactive functionality Facebook users were able to send a customised version of the funny video to friends who owed them money.

Fast take-up as awareness spreads

The free app, is available to all UK bank and building society customers, not just customers of Barclays. The funny creative went viral and had a rapid impact.

• 400,000 app downloads within 8 weeks of launch.
• Number one financial app in the UK Apple App Store in February 2012
• Barclays has since won numerous digital, financial services and marketing awards for the app including the Grand Prix in the Marketing on Mobile Awards (MOMAs) plus Grand Prix and Customer and User Experiences awards in The Digitals 2013.
• Pingit has led to Barclays mobile banking being awarded Best use of Technology in Customer Service in the FS Tech Awards 2014
• The app has been recognised as being a transformative technology by expert marketing judges.