CFO or cake? It’s a fine line in NerdWallet’s wary new commercial

These days, in the age of social media, everyone is a self-proclaimed expert at something. Too often, those “experts” claim to have their financial lives figured out, selling courses so others can “start their journey too” and spread misinformation about how to be the picture of financial health. A new campaign from NerdWallet, created by Deutsch LA, calls out this fraudulent activity and presents the company as a trustworthy alternative. In a spot titled “Fact Check Your Finances,” the company takes a playful jab at the misinformation surrounding financial decisions by featuring a fraudulent CFO, played by “Suits” star James Downing, who dramatically sheds his suit and tie and transforms into a robot—and later cake—to reveal that he is not real, let alone trustworthy. Connie Wang from “The Boys” then chimes in as a NerdWallet representative, noting that rather than turning to friends, family and self-proclaimed finance experts for advice, consumers should turn to the nerds at NerdWallet. The brand will also run 15 and six-second cuts (below). "In a world where faux financial experts are everywhere, we wanted to create a spot that takes the viewer along for the ride as a seemingly trustworthy source completely devolves into nothing more than a piece of confetti cake," said Carly Blitz, creative director at Deutsch LA. “While we definitely had fun with the visuals, the core of the idea is actually pretty simple: get people thinking about who they’re trusting when it comes to financial decisions—because if it’s not NerdWallet, it might not be the smartest decision they could make,” added Max Pollak, also creative director. The campaign will run on linear TV, both cable and broadcast, online video and digital streaming, podcasts and social media. It will also air during major sporting events including the NBA’s opening game on TNT, throughout the NFL and MLB seasons on Fox, and during the college football season, as well as air on podcasts including SmartLess and Revisionist History. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

CFO or cake? It’s a fine line in NerdWallet’s wary new commercial

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