TD Ameritrade’s 24 hour trading platform allows traders to trade after the market closes - all night long. Only one artist was qualified to help launch the news and transform the financial markets. The world’s most qualified nocturnal authority - Lionel Richie, Mr. “All Night Long” himself. Lionel launched the news in front of the biggest audience of all, The Super Bowl. The first ad of the game featured Lionel refusing to quote his famous hit song “All Night Long,” generating incredible buzz for 24 hour trading. Weeks later, Lionel appeared to be playing a Grand Piano, but instead viewers found him to be trading on a computer placed on top of the keys.

Lionel Richie appeared in the TD Ameritrade campaign to promote new 24 hour trading, which for the first time allows traders to trade “all night long.” In one ad that aired during Super Bowl LII, Lionel talks about how you can now trade “All Night Long.” But ironically, he refuses to quote his famous hit song - even after being continuously prodded to say “All Night Long.” Attempts are made to try to get him to say “All Night Long” with bait like “You mean you can trade all...” And Richie firmly uses workarounds such as: “All evening long,” “All night through its entirety,” “From sunset to sunrise” and “From darkness to light.” Weeks later, Lionel was featured in another ad, appearing to be playing the piano in the middle of the night. But we reveal that he’s actually trading on a laptop, placed on top of the piano keys.

To date: TDA’s campaign has generated 271MM impressions and nearly 4MM engagements. During the quarter of campaign launch, average monthly site visitation went up 46%, average monthly new accounts went up 48%, and average monthly net new assets went up 25%.

Lionel Richie’s dulcet tones did more than amuse listeners - they also drove real results for TD Ameritrade.

Editorial media of 24/5 was incredibly positive, as our spot and the smart use of Lionel Richie’s iconic song was picked up by publications including Time, Billboard and Just Jared, netting 72.3MM impressions in earned media. Time included TD Ameritrade’s commercial in their “best of” Super Bowl roundup, giving Lionel Richie’s appearance the award of “Best Cameo” of the night.

Several reporters and influencers organically shared the campaign, including Lionel’s daughter Sofia Richie to the tune of over 500K video views.

Lionel Richie’s song “All Night Long” became a massive hit in 1983 across the globe. 35 years later, the song is loved just as much. Virtually everyone, regardless of their generation, perks up when the song is played. For the first time ever, the song is being connected to the financial industry - to promote TD Ameritrade’s 24 hour, all night long trading. When Lionel playfully refuses to quote his famous hit song within the campaign work, and viewers understand the humor behind the execution because of the song’s timeless fame - the song becomes even more relevant.

TD Ameritrade clients range from novice to seasoned investors. Despite their varying trading experiences, they all play to win. They are actively engaged in the market, always looking for timely insights to help inform their trades in order to gain an edge. However, they also have competing priorities in life - careers, families, etc. For them, only being able to trade during market hours is not just an inconvenience, but prevents them from seizing real time market opportunities.

Our strategy positioned TD Ameritrade as offering 'tomorrow’s tech today' - the only brokerage to disrupt convention, empowering investors to trade 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. This puts the focus on TD Ameritrade’s ongoing commitment to innovation, bringing meaningful change for consumers, allowing TD Ameritrade to connect and delight on a human level.

Since 1903, the stock market has opened at 9AM and closed at 4PM. For 115 years, traders have had their profits cut short by the closing bell. 70% of TD Ameritrade clients are researching upcoming trades after the closing bell, but they’re forced to wait until dawn breaks to make a move.

In a world where nothing sleeps, the idea that the market closes seems antiquated and ripe for disruption. With a long history of challenging conventions to bring its clients innovative trading solutions, TD Ameritrade breaks the closing bell by becoming the first U.S. retail brokerage firm to offer overnight trading. TD Ameritrade clients can now trade 24 hours a day, every market day.

To spread the word and drive new account openings, we tasked our team to create an awareness campaign to speak to traders of all experience levels about the benefits of trading 24/5 with TD Ameritrade.