In a year when attacking gender identity became a political strategy, Citi did something that would forever change how trans and non-binary people are seen.

They became the first US Credit Card Company to give trans and non-binary people the option to update their names on their credit cards to match who they are.

Our campaign, ‘Now that you see me’ was based on the insight that being yourself, and being seen for it, is the beginning of everything; forging relationships, being hired, pursuing dreams…being accepted and respected by mainstream society.

But we didn’t get here on our own. Our trans colleagues at Publicis were our partners every step of the way, guiding our insights and gut checking everything for authenticity - from the brief, to the creative, to client presentations. This team taught us what’s in a name. Everything.

To date over 25,000 names have been changed.

Citi.com/updatemyname

2021 Merit, The One Show, TV & VOD long form single
2021 Merit, The One Show, Integrated Branding Campaign
2021 Webby, Video, Diversity & Inclusion
2021 Webby, Diversity & Inclusion, Advertising Campaigns
2021 Shorty, Best Use Of Branded Content
2021 Shorty, Best LGBTQ Community Engagement
2021 Shorty, Best Use of Short From Video
2021 Shorty, Best in Financial Services 2021 Platinum, 2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Video, Diversity & Inclusion
2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Video, TV Ad
2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Advertising, Newspaper
2021 Platinum, Muse Creative Awards, Integrated Marketing
2021 Gold, Muse Creative Awards, Website, Financial Services
2021 Gold, Muse Creative Awards, Video, Financial Services

Cash back cards love to put people in boxes. You sign up for a card that rewards you for gas or groceries or travel - and then you’re locked in. But what if where you spend the most each month changes? I mean, isn’t that…life? What you’re into - or where you need to spend the most each month - isn’t always the same.

So when Citi came to us with their new card that gives customers 5% cash back where they spend the most monthly - we created a campaign that’s about rewarding you, for being you. But not just one version of you. ALL the versions of you.

To launch the card we went in two directions Citi hadn’t gone in years, celebrity-driven and comedy, partnering with two personalities that captured the you-do-you personality of the card, Rashida Jones and Dan Levy. In just a few months we met their KPI for sign ups and then some.

The X1 is BMW’s entry level sport activity vehicle. Built for thirty-somethings who want their cargo space to come with performance.

The brief called for films that touted all the X1 can hold. But it was a story about how the X1 can make you feel when it’s totally empty that got the most buzz.

2015 Shortlist, The One Show, Automotive category, Special Delivery, BMW

Alexa, how do you write copy for a voice skill?

Citi has one of the biggest entertainment platforms in the financial services industry, offering access to 10,000+ live events and exclusive experiences.

The only problem was, most people didn’t know about it.

So we didn't just create an awareness campaign, we built a voice skill to making finding Citi concerts as easy as saying, “Hey Alexa, talk to Citi Entertainment.”

The Citi Entertainment skill was the first voice skill from Citi. First Voice Skill built in house at Publicis. And the first customer benefit driven voice action from any financial services company.

We used TV and OLV to help our customers connect with one of the biggest emotional benefits that comes with having a Citi card: access to thousands of concerts and 8000+ sports events.

2020 Silver, Financial Communications Society, Apps & Tools, Citi Entertainment, Citi

A lot of millennials roll the dice and skip renters insurance. Why? They think they don’t have a lot of stuff. But they have more than they realize. Stuff their landlord isn’t responsible for. Stuff that would cost a lot to replace. Stuff, as it turns out, our target is pretty emotionally connected to.

So we took the focus off the policy and put it on all their great stuff. Talking about how much they really have and how not-awesome it would be to have to replace it all without insurance.

From NYC specific subway ads, to a fun board outside an apartment building by the High Line, to social and digital that targeted Millennials by specific interest, we asked everyone to show their stuff some love by protecting it with Allstate. And we did it in a voice they could relate to. “Ugh. Forms.” Was a headline during sign up.

There are only a few things you really need to know when it comes to the iconic BMW 3 Series.

It’s way more affordable than you think, so you’ll never regret buying one.

Programmable memory buttons are to be used at your own risk.

And the 3 Series wins Car and Driver’s 10 Best award. A lot.

On BMW briefs, revamps of existing models mean the identity of the car within BMW’s walls and on the road has already been well established.

Working on the 4 Series, the first-ever of its kind, we were tasked with helping the 4 find its place in the fleet. Giving it an identity and voice, all its own. One driven by pure, unadulterated aesthetics.

I made sure guys weren’t the only ones having fun using the 4’s good looks to their advantage.

For International Day of the Girl 2020, Citi wanted to highlight their continued support of more women in leadership roles.

So, Citi Foundation announced its partnership with the Girl Scouts, promoting their new Civic Engagement Badges designed to help close the leadership gap for women.

When we learned that more Girl Scouts end up as leaders in tech, business, and government than any other organization. It got us thinking about where change begins.

From brief, to shoot, to ship, we did it all in less than a month.

2021 Gold, Financial Communications Society, Corporate Image/Television, Girl Scouts X Citi, It starts with a question

2021 Silver, Financial Communications Society, Corporate Image, Digital Media - Web Video, Girl Scouts X Citi, It starts with a question

2021 Silver, Financial Communications Society, Corporate Image, Social Media, Girl Scouts X Citi, It starts with a question

Citi had never been well known for their fraud services, but when Covid-19 hit, we had to get the word out fast.

Scammers were using the pandemic to take advantage of people everywhere.

So we quickly created work that positioned Citi as fraud experts and educated consumers on the mistakes and missteps fraud makes, so they could protect themselves from fraud as well.

In BMW’s lineup, the X5 is known as the leader of the pack. An SUV that takes a commanding stance on the road, dominating whatever crosses its tracks.

So we pitched for the X5 global campaign work with a simple concept that would be universally understood and translate in all BMW’s markets. Respect has stopping power.

While BMW master brand touted performance, luxury and exclusivity - we crafted more relatable stories about the lengths BMW drivers go to keep their Certified Pre-Owned BMWs looking new. Because when it drives and looks like new, you’ll treat it like new.

For the BMW 7 Series global pitch, our global clients wanted a film that would communicate visceral luxury. So we depicted the magnetic pull only a luxury vehicle endowed with equal parts amenities and adrenaline can have and won.

Our North America clients took a different stance. Since new innovations are always launched in the 7 Series first, before making their way to other models, the US wanted to use the 7 Series to make a declaration about where all of BMW was heading. Allowing us to take a refreshing, philosophical tone about the future of BMW at large. Out of the 100’s of radio and film scripts we recorded with Chris Pine over the years, I never heard him be as complimentary of a AVO as he was of this one.

For a brand sometimes known for drivers that are selfish on the road, this social campaign was refreshingly altruistic.

We sent the X1 coast-to-coast, stopping at 12 parks across the US and posting an Instagram photo to BMW's Facebook page.

For every picture liked along our journey, we pledged to donate a dollar back to that location. We easily met our goal of donating $10,000 to each park the X1 visited.

To this day, this is one of the campaigns I’m most proud of, even though I was just a senior writer at the time.

Led by ECD Jeff Huggins, we took a pain reliever existing in a category where everyone was saying the same thing and gave it a voice that set it apart from the rest in a bold way.

Like running ads that led with all the ways you could avoid taking Tylenol in the first place.

“Feel Better” engaged people in conversation about their health. And educated consumers on pain prevention at the expense of suggesting Tylenol as the first line of defense.

2009 Bronze Effie, Feel Better, Tylenol

Allstate wanted to target new parents. And they wanted to speak to them in a way that demonstrated understanding of the moment when love graduates.

When love becomes more than just “you and me” love, and becomes about something entirely different.

So we positioned Allstate as experts in the moment that love get’s real.