2026 Winner

CIBC set out to move beyond its established role as a provider of practical banking solutions for newcomers by addressing a more emotional reality: the experience of leaving parts of one’s life behind when starting over in Canada. With strict baggage limits forcing many to abandon meaningful belongings, the campaign reframed what it means to arrive, recognizing that what’s left behind often carries the deepest sense of identity. Instead of leading with product, CIBC led with empathy, building the “Extra Bag” as both a symbolic and tangible solution. A hero film followed real newcomers reflecting on what they couldn’t bring, culminating in the brand reuniting them with those items, while the idea extended into action by offering hundreds of newcomers an additional checked bag on their journey to Canada. Supported by a digital-first, highly targeted rollout across platforms like Meta, Google and Reddit, alongside geo-targeting at arrival points and localized content by country of origin, the campaign balanced emotional storytelling with performance precision. It delivered a 47% increase in pre-arrival conversions and reduced cost per acquisition by 33%, while reaching 7.6M people on Meta at an efficient $2.80 CPM and tripling engagement benchmarks. By turning a functional limitation into a meaningful brand gesture, CIBC positioned itself not just as a financial partner, but as an important part of starting over.

Credits

Dhaval Bhatt: Founder + CCO
Joel Holtby: Founder + CCO
Tom Kenny: Partner + CSO
Niki Sahni: Partner + President
Clair Galea: Partner + Executive Producer
Rami Dudin: Strategy Director
Shradha Chauhan: Strategist
Jesse Wilks - Creative Director
Gerardo Agbuya - Creative Director
Jesse Wilks - Copywriter
Gerardo Agbuya - Art Director
Andrea Romanelli: ACD - Art Director
Jon Taylor: ACD - Writer
Kushal Lalvani: Writer
Saloni Wadehra: Group Account Director
Sonam Sood: Account Director
Emily Broad: Account Supervisor
Adriana Laborde: Senior Producer
Elana Olavesen: Senior Producer

Client
Suzy DePrizio - Senior Vice President, Business Partner Marketing, Personal and Business Banking
Angela Sarino - VP, Business Partner Marketing
Joanna Milroy - Senior Director, Strategic Fragments and Franchising
Tom Malesis - Director
Tony Hua - Senior Manager
Emma Ler - Manager

Production
Untitled films
Director / DP – Jesse Louttit
Executive Producer - Lexy Kavluk
Line Producer – Kyle Welton
Production Manager – Dónal Lucey
1st Assistant Director – Jeff Cowan
Gaffer – Todd Hamacher
Key Grip – Adam McDonald
Production Designer - Jessica O’Reilly
Sound Mixer – Kristian Delchev
Wardrobe Stylist – Lisa Gentle
Key Makeup – Jasmine Duffey

Casting
Ground Glass Casting
Andrew Deiters– Casting Director

EDITORIAL
Courage Inc
Editor: Marcus Barrie
Assistant Editor / Production Coordinator: Parker Wales

COLOUR + ONLINE
ALTER EGO
Colourist: Lily Henry
Colour Assistant: Daniel Saavedra
Lead VFX Artist: Joel Osis
VFX Assistant: Nupur Baria
Senior Producer: Andrew Tavares
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira

SOUND
Berkley Inc
Audio: Berkeley Inc.
Insta: @berkeley_inc

Media
Essence Media Com
Lisa Wong, Account Director
Javier Zambrano, Account Manager
Sarah Yang, Senior Media Executive
Kritin Shetty, Associate Media Executive
Asad Askari, Associate Account Manager, Paid Social
CIBC
Ealaf Junejo – Manager, Paid Media
Daniel Tsang – Manager, Paid Media
Alice Kim – Manager, Paid Media
Janet Zhen – Senior Specialist, Paid Media
Nicole Briones – Senior Specialist, Paid Media
Athena Bantis – Consultant, Social Media