U.S. Bank was expanding in California - which is 40% Hispanic - and knew they needed to earn their way into their lives if they wanted to gain their trust. U.S. Bank knew it needed to significantly increase awareness and engagement with this critical audience if it hoped to retain existing customers, as well as attract the next generation of customers in the region. This led us to something many of us take for granted: language.
In the United States, it’s nearly impossible to navigate daily life in America if you don’t speak English. For everyday tasks like grocery shopping to more complicated tasks like banking and navigating the education and healthcare systems, being able to speak English means being able to live and prosper. In fact, only 23% of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries speak proficient English. But that number jumps to 94% for their grandchildren’s generation. Because of this, millions of non-English speaking adults are forced to rely on children, as young as five or six, to translate everything from healthcare to legal documents to the family’s finances. It’s a big burden for a little kid.
U.S. Bank saw this firsthand in their branches, which inspired them to create Asistente Inteligente: the country’s first and only Spanish voice assistant specifically for banking. With Asistente Inteligente, 42 million native speakers could now bank with their own voices, while confidently navigating industry-specific acronyms and jargon in their own language.
We didn’t want to just advertise the product. We wanted to celebrate the children who inspired it and connect with the community that inspired it. So we created, ‘Translators,’ a 20-minute documentary that told their story.
We created the film for festivals (3 wins and 13 official selections around the world) to instigate a cultural discussion. But it was important that we shared the film with the community that inspired it. So we took it directly to them by hosting screenings and discussions in colleges, schools, community centers, and churches as well as at U.S. Bank branches across the country. The trailer was also shown on the jumbotrons during Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals games.
One of the most American stories that had never been told, became a national discussion. Gaining over 16.7 billion earned media impressions across a variety of national and Hispanic publications and channels as well as 965 earned media impressions. It also gained a 13-point increase in brand awareness, and a 10-point increase in brand consideration. Usage of Asistente Inteligente shot up by 220% and “makes me feel valued” brand attribution increased by 8 points with Hispanics. And perhaps even more importantly, millions of people felt seen. And their stories were heard.
