Fifth Third Bank: BuyNow Blocker

The BuyNow Blocker" promotes financial education, encouraging people to think twice before purchasing unnecessary items, and instead save for essentials. With that cute bag on Instagram just a click away from your closet, hyper-targeted social media advertising has made us more vulnerable to impulse buying than ever. So Fifth Third Bank partnered with bi-coastal creative agency Pereira O’Dell, to create a campaign that turns advertising on its head, "blocking" social advertisers in favour of educating people to make more informed financial decisions. Since the COVID-19 pandemic turned our lives upside down, the aggressiveness of retailers has increased markedly, and the push to move product has become greater than ever, along with repeat, non-stop advertisements. The result? Consumers are spending more and saving less. Now, meet Fifth Third’s “BuyNow Blocker” a data driven media buy which is designed to make you think twice before purchasing an unnecessary item and encouraging you to save for an absolutely necessary item. This strategic social campaign was created as a response to the hyper-targeted social media advertising that floods our feeds and plays on our impulses like never before, leading people to spend more and save less. The “BuyNow Blocker” does not require a plug-in or download. Fifth Third just bought some of the most sought-after terms, just like the retailers. The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness around Fifth Third Bank’s free automatic savings products, which provide customers with a better and easier way to save for the things they really need. Here’s how the ‘BuyNow Blocker’ works: Instead of viewing a regular social media ad, users will view a minimally branded message that highlights the type of ad he or she might get served. For example, a “BuyNow Blocker” ad might read: “This could have been a handbag ad.”