When Ascentra Credit Union’s animated mascot Fran needed a break from the endless demands of parenthood and home ownership, Ascentra’s HELOC (home equity line of credit) came to her rescue with a new pool. “Fran is dreaming of lazy days with her favorite floaty, because sHELOC’d it and dropped it on a swimming pool!”
Part of a small series of TV spots featuring a variety of purchases, this thirty-second HELOC commercial was written and created for broadcast, but is versatile enough to be used again online as OTT content.
The sHELOC ad campaign extended beyond video, ultimately showing off Fran’s new pool across print advertising, digital/online banner ads, social media posts, and out-of-home placements like billboards and in-branch plasma screens.
But where did “sHELOC” come from? HELOC products are common across financial institutions, which makes differentiation a challenge in a crowded market. Playing with the phonetic pronunciation of the acronym—he-lock—and attaching it to the idea of “locking in” a lending agreement brought a memorable playfulness to an otherwise dry concept. And of course, once we personalized it for Fran, this naturally became the she-lock that she’d use for her pool, her “she shed” and anything else her animated heart desired.