Now that some nations are beginning to return to their pre-COVID economic levels, have you ever looked back to analyze your spending habits during the pandemic? Was the lizard in your brain in control or did you spend money sparingly? There is nothing wrong with tracking your money and see where it goes. But how do you do it? Well, one nice way to keep a record of your shopping trends is to visualize it through a chart, which you can audio upgrade for a much impactful experience.
Canadians can actually do this via the “Sound of Spending” digital tool. Commissioned by Interac, one of Canada’s most trusted financial service brands, the initiative takes the shape of a soundwave, capturing the nation’s expenses throughout the pandemic. Developed with the help of agency Zulu Alpha Kilo, the campaign illustrates Canadians’ spending trends and how they changed over time, revealing itself before the citizens’ eyes (and ears) as a catchy tune.
The tool uses unusual “musical” instruments — such as data, technology, and creativity — to map the shopping trends of the country, eventually expressing them through sound. “We produced a national soundwave to sonically illustrate how Canadian spending habits are helping to rebuild consumer confidence while charting our economic recovery,” William Keliehor, Chief Commercial Officer at Interac, explains.
In early March 2020, when the pandemic broke out, grocery spending frequency rose by 15%, the brand marking the episode with high notes. When the state of emergency was declared a month later, in April 2020, the spending frequency associated with restaurants, entertainment, and travel decreased by 35%, the event being marked with a low note. Yet, while at home, Canadians’ hit a new high note in May 2020, causing a rise in home improvement spending frequency. The second wave of COVID-19 in January 2021 influenced the soundwave with low notes and now, with the economy beginning to open up, Canadians’ spending hit a new high note.
“Turning spending into sound is a new way to experience a concept that is largely viewed as transactional,” Andrea Danovitch, Associate Vice President, Marketing & Brand at Interac, says. “Sound is a new and a powerful way for us to reach consumers through the experiences and passions that connect us all.”
Also, an online tool enables Canadians to try the experience for themselves and create their own track based on their shopping habits. Here’s how it works: Insert the amount of money spent per month across the listed categories, hit the “Play track” button, and wait to be directed to a place where you can either listen, edit, or even download the track.
To create the national tune, anonymized and aggregated debit spending data between January 2019 and June 2021 were used, with the brand also mentioning that no personal information is being collected while users create their tunes. The campaign makes consumers better understand their expenses and marks the latest activation of InLifeTM, a new platform where the company focuses on a simpler, more joyful, less stressful life.
So, how does your spending sound like?
Credits:
Client: Interac
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo