TD Ameritrade – Cat’s in the Cradle

In this post, we review the beautiful Cats in the Cradle advert pieced together by Ameritrade. The film was created by the advertising agency Havas Worldwide.
We’ll talk about the best bits presented by this concept as well as give our scores out of 10 for memorability, effectiveness, style, heart, and execution. Check out the ad then read through this analytical breakdown to get our thoughts. The advert tagline is “Invest in Every Moment”

Memorability – 8 / 10

The memorability element of a financial services campaign is beyond essential. You face an uphill battle when you’re tasked with convincing people to think long term and take action to secure the things that will matter decades into the future. This concept manages it with flying colors. A touching story that is bound to connect deeply with fathers and sons of all walks of life. Impressive emotional impact ensures this theatrical piece is perfectly designed for reservation in the minds and hearts of all male viewers.

Effectiveness – 8 / 10

Financial products are not easy sells. They are not typically entwined with emotional elements, they are not fun and are far from sexy. Evidently one of the most effective ways to market such services and products is to appeal to people’s sense of duty, longevity, and morals.The Cats in the Cradle ad speaks to men on a fundamental level. “Do the right thing for your family and the rewards will prove priceless”. The story presented captures this notion pretty much perfectly. The only flaw is the sequences reliance on the build up. Only viewers with the patience to entertain the entire clip will be left with the desired impact. Those that catch the ad half way through will be underwhelmed.

Style – 8 / 10

The characters used to portray the story fit perfectly in line the with agenda. A white collar father figure, a suburban setting, and millennial son combine to present the idyllic image of the modern middle-class American family unit. The custom soundtrack offers sobering notes that instantly capture the sentiments of people who have fostered conventional relationships with parents or their own children. It becomes clear throughout the clip that the cinematography has been heavily inspired by short clip compilation videos popular in social media and online content. An exemplary example of designing marketing communication to relate directly to contemporary trends in the wider media.

Heart or Humor – 9 / 10

The story plays entirely on hitting hard with sentiment and emotional engagement. Every mature adult will feel the pull from scenes of this nature whether they are a parent or not. The obvious and clear message blasted from these visuals coupled with the somber soundtrack ensure viewers are both captivated by the sequence as well as reminded of their responsibility to act now to achieve vital benefits later. A very strong message communicated with a powerful approach to the production.

Execution – 9 / 10

This piece has been produced exquisitely with both objective precision and impeccable production value. A simplistic concept that has been built with the correct level of restraint and dynamism. The tone of the soundtrack and the use of clever cinematography helps to capture the sense of growth and build up towards an aspirational climax.The final message is very clear and plays right into the core aims of the brand.

The background music of TD Ameritrade TV commercial is the song Cat’s in the Cradle by Joseph Angel.