Scotiabank SCENE
#Insta-Movie Challenge & Behind the
SCENE Tour
The Challenge
Scotiabank SCENE needed to drive brand awareness and new sign-ups among college and university students – an audience highly engaged in entertainment and social content, but largely disconnected from traditional financial messaging.
The challenge was to make a banking loyalty program feel culturally relevant, while standing out in a crowded student landscape.
The Idea
Turn passive rewards into active participation.
The #Insta-Movie Challenge invited students to create and share short-form content for a chance to win daily movie tickets – transforming SCENE from a points program into something social, participatory, and shareable.
The idea extended beyond digital through a cross-Canada college and university
tour, bringing the campaign to life through a shared movie experience with
Jessi Cruickshank.
The Creative
We recruited Jessi Cruickshank to bring an influential and recognizable
face to the campaign.
With a background in entertainment and a strong following among young,
social-first audiences, Jessi naturally bridged the worlds of film, pop culture,
and digital content – making her a credible and relatable voice for SCENE.
To connect with her audience, it was critical that the content felt true to her voice –
not scripted or overly branded. The work aligned with her personality, enabling her to lead the tone and delivery in a way that felt natural to her followers.
Visually, the campaign embraced a raw, social-first approach – with challenge content shot on iPhone to mirror how students create and consume content.
Campaign photography balanced this with more composed, playful visuals, featuring Jessi with movie snacks to anchor the brand in entertainment culture.
The Work
Behind The Scene Tour
We launched the tour in Ottawa with a same-day shoot, edit, and release, creating content in real-time
as the campaign went live on campus.
Digital Boards & Ads
Tour and campaign content was adapted for digital placements – extending reach across participating campuses
and reinforcing awareness.
Social Media
We ran a weekly challenge format over one month – with content shot on iPhone to keep it fast, native, and aligned
with how students create and engage.
The Execution
The campaign ran across social, digital, and on-campus activations.
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Weekly social challenges drove ongoing participation
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Daily ticket giveaways maintained momentum
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Digital boards and ads extended reach across campuses
A cross-Canada college and university tour turned the campaign into a live movie night experience with Jessi.
Each event opened with a red carpet meet and greet, followed by Jessi introducing the film, engaging with the audience, and watching it alongside them.
Together, the work connected online participation with real-world experiences, reinforcing SCENE as both social and experiential.
The Impact
Brand awareness, sign-ups, engagement, and campus participation increased significantly throughout the campaign and continued beyond its run.
The campaign successfully positioned SCENE as a relevant, entertainment-driven brand within the student audience.
My Role
Art Direction – including campaign photography of Jessi and
social content videography
Design and visual execution across campaign touchpoints