Why The Bank Of Ireland Housemates Ad Is A Masterclass In Timing

Sometimes brands get things absolutely spot-on – but it doesn’t happen easily.

After all, advertising is a myriad of moving parts involving planning, creative concepts, execution, media buying and timing. It’s incredibly rare for all these parts to function, let alone function while also being entertaining, but the latest Bank of Ireland mortgage campaign has absolutely nailed it.

The ad features a set of three housemates, one of whom has an incredibly annoying girlfriend who decides to move in with them. This prompts the two other lads to decide that it’s time to make the biggest jump of all – take out a mortgage and get a place of their own.

Have a look here:

And while taking out a mortgage just to avoid an irritating housemate may seem a touch extreme, therein lies the beauty of the ad – it’s a subtle reminder that this, for the first time in a generation, is a viable solution to an all-too-common problem.

The execution is fantastic; in particular, the irritating couple are played to perfection with an unsettling realism, while the crowded sofa conjures up a feeling of get-me-out-of-here claustrophobia. This transfers brilliantly to the campaign’s outdoor element, while the use of an iPad to make the mortgage application dispels the age-old perceptions of endless reams of paperwork.

Meanwhile, the sponsorship placement alongside RTÉ’s Room to Improve is a masterstroke of media buying – further extended online with some snazzy, snappy Dermot Bannon videos pushed out via social.

Does your home have #RoomtoImprove? Then watch here for Dermot's expert advice on renovating a 1950s home http://t.co/OKDJMo62KB #ad

— Bank of Ireland (@bankofireland) March 8, 2015

A lot of moving parts, with each one executed to perfection to produce a campaign that’s far more than the sum of its parts.