Free Credit Score
The FreeCreditScore.com band didn’t just run ads, they lodged themselves in culture. People sang along, knew the service by heart, and could spot the joke in seconds. The campaign delivered nine straight quarters of growth, and when Stephen Colbert put the FCR guy in the same pop-culture breath as the “Obama Girl,” it was clear we had struck something real.
Then the rules changed. The brand had to move from FreeCreditReport.com to FreeCreditScore.com, without losing momentum or credibility. The original band was loved, but they weren’t musicians, and they weren’t even English speakers. It was time to evolve, not erase.
Site #1: After auditioning more than 100 unsigned bands in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and opening submissions nationwide online, the site became the hub. It surfaced the top four acts from each city based on YouTube views. Each band performed one of five original FreeCreditScore.com songs, turning every submission into a 30-second ad people chose to watch.
A FEW OF THE ONLINE SUBMISSIONS
So instead of recasting in a boardroom, we took the search to the streets. We set out to find a real band and brought consumers along for the ride, letting America help choose who would carry the name next. The result wasn’t just a refresh, it was a handoff, from a manufactured moment to a band people could actually believe in.
Phase 1
The challenge: Move a wildly familiar brand from FreeCreditReport.com to FreeCreditScore.com without losing trust, momentum, or cultural relevance.
The idea: Turn the transition into a moment. Launch a national search for a real band and invite America to help choose who would carry the FreeCreditScore.com name forward, adding authenticity and credibility exactly when the brand needed it most.
The unpaid media impact was massive. National outlets and local news markets alike picked up the story, following the bands as the competition unfolded. What began as a brand transition became news people wanted to cover, delivering sustained exposure and cultural credibility without a media buy.
The contest hit loud, pulling in the press and earning airtime on MTV. But the real spark came from how everything connected. Broadcast teased the search, digital extended it, social amplified it, and the site became the stage. Every channel fed the next, turning a name change into a cultural event people actively participated in.
Phase 2
THE FINALISTS
NATIONAL SPOTS
NATIONAL COVERAGE
THE WINNERS
Victorious Secrets, a five-piece rock band from Detroit, emerged from online auditions and outworked every other finalist, mobilizing their fan base with relentless energy. They became the new face of FreeCreditScore.com, fronting a national campaign, landing late-night appearances, and taking the stage on the Fearless Friends Tour.
AND FINALLY, THEIR 1st NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
THE CASE STUDY VIDEO
Over 10,000 miles traveled, nine national spots, two unique websites, and endless print, digital, and radio. Here’s to the remarkable team and everyone who poured their talent, energy, and heart into making it happen. And to the best six months of my life.
Site #2: From more than a thousand musicians, four bands rose to the finals. Each shot national spots, rallying fans to FreeCreditScore.com to cast their votes. The bands mobilized their followings across Facebook, YouTube, and blogs using a custom band-search widget, while taking the campaign to the streets as local news outlets picked up the story. Millions of page views later, America had its winner.
Our lovable, unofficial band-contest goat kept the momentum going, teasing the winner announcement and giving the media one more reason to keep watching.
THE BIG TEASE
OUT IN THE WORLD
The momentum didn’t stop with the campaign. The band was picked up by major music industry magazines, cementing their credibility beyond advertising. Soon after, they went from editorial spreads to full-scale exposure, lighting up Times Square and stepping fully into the cultural spotlight.