Bringing a Campaign to Life: SumUp

SumUp, a global mobile payments service, empowers small business owners by making it easy to get paid for their labors of love. And they do this well. So well, in fact, that SumUp became a leader in their market in Europe. The brand was ready to level up its growth, so they came to us to help them generate brand awareness in the U.S. Always down for a challenge, we got to work. Here's how it went down:

Discovery

To kick off the party, we first held a discovery session. Starting here allows for our team to collaborate with the client from the very beginning, aligning on what a clear picture of success looks like and setting measurable KPIs to track the success of our efforts as we go. This phase also includes getting to know our key audiences on a deep, specific level through our persona development exercise.

Following this initial session, we set the foundation for a meaningful campaign by diving deep into research on industry trends and consumer behaviors in SumUp's key markets. Getting that full picture allowed us to zoom out and connect the dots that led us to the key insight that would ultimately inform our campaign strategy: business owners need an ally—not just another tool in their belt.

Creative Brief

It all boiled down to a single truth. SumUp's services make it easy for small business owners to get compensated for the grit, passion, and faith it takes to be an entrepreneur. Our goal became clear:

Get local startups who need more than just business tools to see SumUp as an ally, not just a tool, by showing that SumUp is with them every step of the way.

Campaign Concept

What came next was a creative concept that just felt right. By capturing both authenticity and allyship, we created the framework to help SumUp share its truth with new markets as it enters a new season of growth. Here's what we came up with:

Small business, big potential.

As a small business owner, you don’t just follow your dream, you build it. With passion, persistence and purpose. And whether you begin with a daydream or a degree, you decide to start something new. That’s why your business is a big deal to us. After championing more than 3 million businesses worldwide, SumUp knows that potential exists within every business, regardless of size. That’s why we’re committed to helping you from setup to payout. Every day. Every step of the way.

Media Strategy

With a clear mission and a message mighty enough to tackle it, it was time to nail down the nuts and bolts of execution: media tactics. We built out a comprehensive media strategy based on goals and KPIs established during our discovery session (if you're creating a media strategy is on your mind, here are 4 tips to keep in mind).

For this campaign, we knew we wanted to do a multi-city takeover...but that doesn't mean media stops at OOH activations. While OOH is a great tool for brand awareness, fully tackling a takeover for SumUp meant embracing a more holistic approach to guide their audience through every touchpoint (not just initial awareness). Instead, our media strategy spanned across radio, digital video, OOH, display, and social to ensure that no stone was left unturned. Learn more about how we navigated a city takeover with the limitations of the pandemic here.

Execution

The final product? A comprehensive, 3-city takeover that met SumUp's audience where they were and showcased the power of a little small business elbow grease. View the final video below, and check out the full campaign and results here.