HSBC DEEP FRAUD

TitleHSBC DEEP FRAUD
BrandHSBC
Product/ServiceCYBER-SECURITY
Category D01. Social Video
Entrant WEBER SHANDWICK London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation WEBER SHANDWICK London, UNITED KINGDOM
PR WEBER SHANDWICK London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production WEBER SHANDWICK London, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
James Nester Weber Shandwick Executive Creative Director
Luke Walker Weber Shandwick Creative Director
Helen Bennett Weber Shandwick Managing Director
Jamie Inman Weber Shandwick Managing Director, Planning
Violette Verite Weber Shandwick Director
Angus Baillie Weber Shandwick Associate
Olivia McCulla Weber Shandwick Account Director
David Schneider That Lot Executive Creative Director
Simon Cooper That Lot Associate Creative Director
Dom Coddington That Lot Senior After Effects Editor
Sam Latham That Lot Senior After Effects Editor
Ben Forder That Lot Head of Video
Ciara O'Grady That Lot Post Production Manager
Freddie Ward That Lot Editor
Stuart Duffy That Lot Producer
Maria Boud That Lot Producer
Jordan Crankshaw That Lot Production Assistant
Amber Weedon That Lot Video Creative
Fraser McHale That Lot Junior Editor
Alex Wilson-Thame That Lot Sound Design
Tomas Diaz That Lot After Effects Editor
Tom Alex-Helm That Lot Video Intern
Klein Borrill That Lot Head of Design
David Cottam That Lot Senior Designer
Alastair Flower That Lot Account Director
Rebeka Alexander That Lot Account Manager

Background

HSBC UK, along with the rest of the international banking sector, is under significant pressure to tackle the issue on online fraud. Online fraud costs the UK £10.9bn per year and is cited as a key concern of consumers. Yet the typical consumer’s understanding of the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by fraudsters is low. With fraud dramatically peaking in the run-up to Christmas, HSBC UK needed to engage and educate consumers on the issue. The key challenge was to highlight the increasing sophistication of online fraudsters while avoiding accusations of scaremongering. Driving awareness of the issue through social media was critical to reach consumers online but capturing attention through social is challenging at the best of times, let alone when trying to drive awareness of an issue most consumers would prefer not to think about. Especially when their mind is focussed on scooping up bargains in time for Christmas.

Describe the strategy

We identified Cyber Monday as the highest risk moment - a time when consumers drop their guard in haste to pick up a great deal. Consumers also have an outdated model of fraud, where scams look fake - phishing emails littered with spelling mistakes. In the heart of the frenzy, we needed an idea that would grab attention, demonstrate the sophistication of fraudsters and educate consumers on how to stay safe, online. If there’s someone the Cyber Monday online shopper trusts online, it is the celebrity. Our audience lives in a world that blurs the line between celebrity and retail, where those they follow directly influence their buying behaviours. We'd tap the world of celebrity to prove that absolutely anyone might not be who they say they are - even one of the most trustworthy celebrities of them all.

Describe the execution

On 24th November, the start of Christmas fraud ‘primetime’, with Rachel’s blessing, we used her Twitter and Instagram channels to post the surprising confession video. Fans immediately jumped on the confession, leading to widespread speculation. We protected the authenticity of the confession allowing the post to live organically – a strategy which paid off as the consternation of Rachel’s followers ignited mainstream interest in the confession. After a nail-biting 24 hours, HSBC revealed all. On Sunday 26th November, the eve of Cyber Monday, a video was posted to their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels showing how we had used ‘deep fake’ style technology – tracking and manipulating facial movements and syncing with a vocal impressionist – in order to alert consumers to the very real dangers of digital fraud. Through retargeting, viewers received tips on how to stay secure the next time they're online.

List the results

Rachel’s ‘Confession’ secured 52,000 views in the first 30 minutes alone. So far, its had over 691,000 organic views. The reveal video generated over 5.2 million views on HSBC UK channels (Facebook & Twitter) and an additional 110,000 organic views on Rachel’s Instagram channel. While the educational videos generated over 7.2 million video views on HSBC UK channels. The reveal video is the most retweeted post by HSBC ever and was the top tweet in Twitter’s Cyber Monday trend. The campaign created over 88 million social impressions and started over 2,400 conversations on Twitter alone. It generated national and global news coverage with a reach of 364 million; national hits included the Daily Express, the Daily Mail and Independent, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and Irish morning TV show Ireland AM in the UK - plus a surprising level of attention in the Deep Fake from Russian media.