The encyclopedia · Finance & Accounting · Marketing decision · 2022–2023
Maya hid a bank inside a hit song; redeeming the cash required opening an account
Ogilvy Manila released an unbranded Shanti Dope hit with cash codes hidden in its video; redemptions required the Maya app, opening over a million accounts.
Maya (Maya Philippines Inc.)
The solution
PayMaya was the Philippines' oldest e-wallet but had lost relevance: rival GCash had 97% awareness and the market was growing from 8% to 36% penetration. A rebrand to 'Maya' — new name, look and services — was not enough to reach Gen Z, who saw banking as outdated and uninteresting.
Ogilvy Manila's idea was to release the brand as a song before revealing it was a bank. They partnered with Shanti Dope, the country's top hip-hop act, on an unbranded track called 'Maya' about this generation's hustle culture, freedom and the Maya bird's determined flight, performed live and downloadable from interactive graffiti.
The reveal came as a treasure hunt: cash codes hidden in the music video could be converted into real money, but only by downloading the Maya app and opening a bank account. Gamified missions, user points and Bitcoin trials turned the app itself into the game.
The campaign drove 8.6 million song plays, 4.6 million video views and 446 million TikTok hashtag views, opened over a million new savings accounts, and added 1.5 million new bank customers in six months, making Maya the country's #1 digital banking app by monthly active users. It was shortlisted twice at Cannes Lions 2023 in Creative Commerce and won a Gold at the 2023 London International Awards.
Why it worked
- The product was disguised as entertainment Gen Z already consumed, so it met people on their own ground.
- Cash codes made account opening a prize claim instead of a sales pitch.
- Radio, live shows and interactive graffiti made the song feel like culture before the brand reveal.
- App missions and Bitcoin trials converted curiosity into product usage and habit.
What can be applied
When a category is boring and a rival owns awareness, sell the feeling first: hide the transaction inside an experience people want, and make the business action — opening an account — the reward.
Aftermath
Maya's new-customer surge in 2022–2023 established it as a leading digital bank in the Philippines by monthly active users, and the campaign became a reference case for fintech brand building. Ogilvy Manila's LIA Gold and double Cannes Creative Commerce shortlist contributed to the network's 20-trophy haul at LIA 2023. Maya later broadened into credit, crypto and wealth products under the same brand.
Sources
- MAYA. The Hit Song That Was Actually A Bank. — LIA 2023 entry
- Ogilvy Secures 20 Trophies for APAC at 2023 LIA
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