Reform School produce comedy campaign for Avantis
Boutique agency TiNY launches a bold campaign for Avantis Investors to spotlight active management, with nine unique ads to debut during American Century Championship, each reinforcing the value of daily investment oversight.
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Creative agency TiNY unveils a first-of-its-kind brand campaign for Avantis Investors, a $71 billion investment capability from American Century Investments. The campaign will debut in July during the 36th year of the American Century Championship, the premiere celebrity golf tournament that has raised more than $8 million for dozens of worthy causes and nonprofits.
TiNY is turning the broadcast into a unique advertising event with nine connected commercials, each airing only once. While all begin the same way, each ad ends with a unique comedic twist. The creative strategy underscores Avantis’ core message: paying attention matters, especially when it comes to managing exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
“Not all investors realise that some index ETFs only rebalance their holdings once a year. Avantis believes investors deserve more. They evaluate investments daily seeking to deliver better outcomes,” said Erik Schneberger, chief marketing officer at American Century Investments. “This campaign cleverly illustrates the significant difference in approach while entertaining our viewers.”
Transforming a nationally televised celebrity golf tournament into a dynamic advertising showcase During a three-day broadcast window, Avantis avoids repeating a single ad and possibly annoying the audience. The result is a powerful creative device.
Each spot opens on an untended “Index ETF” golf course. A golfer finds his ball seemingly in the deep rough but explains to his partner that his ball is actually in an absurdly overgrown fairway. When he points to the actual rough, viewers are introduced to characters who’ve been in the dense forest. From the expected forest dwellers, like Bigfoot and Hansel and Gretel, to unexpected characters like two escaped prisoners, a British explorer, and a pair of 1930s wise guys, the forest becomes a story of no oversight. Finally, in a self-aware twist, a park ranger cites the golfers for overplaying the joke.
“The campaign’s goal is to explain that Avantis evaluates their investments every day. We said, cool, let’s find a forest next to a golf course and stick Bigfoot, Hansel and Gretel and a couple of mobsters in it,” said Mike Rovner, partner and co-chief creative officer at TiNY.
“We challenged ourselves to make the same, hard-hitting product message feel fresh nine different ways,” said Tom Christmann, partner and co-chief creative officer. “Each spot rewards viewers who stick with it. Just like Avantis, we believe paying attention is rewarding.”
Michael Stoopack, partner and president at TiNY said, “Nine unique spots. One airing each. One very smart client. This is what we started TiNY to do: bold ideas and clear strategy.”
The campaign was directed by Evan Silver and produced by Reform School.
