Out of Office Challenge

Financial services content on social fights an uphill battle: 93% of consumers actively skip ads, and skepticism runs even higher for banks, where trust is the currency but brand-led content gets scrolled past on sight. Add a category where the average American holds under $1,000 in savings yet travel aspirations stay high, and the brief gets harder: show up in culture without forcing product, and without the institutional voice that reads "ad" before the first frame plays.

Swap brand-led for creator-led. The Out-of-Office Challenge documents real, attainable travel paid for with the GM Rewards™ Mastercard®: transparent spend, authentic influencer voices, a challenge format built for how people actually scroll. Over three years and three co-brand partners (Priceline → Breeze Airways → GM), each round sharpened the creative approach, influencer fit, and channel strategy.

• Fit over follower count: partners chosen for alignment and creative chemistry, not reach
• Guidance, not guardrails: briefs built to protect creator voice, not flatten it
• Organic-first, paid to extend: content built to feel native; paid media extended credibility, not volume

• 5.5 sec average watch time vs. 2.2 sec industry average
• +530% YoY view growth over the prior year's OOO Challenge
• +5,633% likes vs. channel average (which sat at 27)
• +2,725% comments vs. channel average (which sat at 4)
• Sentiment ran positive across Stories, with real excitement for both the card and the content