Mr Humfreez by ANZ Bank is a technological breakthrough that uses no plastics, no rare earth metals, and no power source. In collaboration with the University of Toronto, we created a world-first by programming, one of earth’s most abundant materials - wood. The smart, sustainable device raises awareness about the shocking 50% of New Zealand homes that are too cold and damp, causing 1600 premature deaths annually. Calibrated to World Health Organisation standards, the device detects changes in humidity and temperature at home. It’s designed in a way that even children can understand, since they’re the worst affected by unhealthy

50% of homes in New Zealand are too cold and damp, falling below World Health Organisation standards for a healthy home. As a result, 1 in 6 Kiwis suffer from respiratory diseases, especially children. New Zealand’s largest home lender, ANZ bank made a commitment to help Kiwis live in warmer, drier homes. Our brief was to educate Kiwis about the issue get them to enquire about ANZ Bank’s Healthy Homes Initiative - which offered interest-free loans for home insulation and heating. Faced with a culture of Kiwis used to ‘toughing it out’ over winter, our solution needed to captivate and educate Kiwis. So that households would care about the problem, and do something about it with help from ANZ and their interest free loans.

To make Kiwi households care about this issue, we invented Mr Humfreez by ANZ - a world-first innovation that detects home health - designed to be read and understood by the children most affected by this crisis. The healthy homes device was made in way that is healthy for people and the planet. Instead of using plastics and rare earth metals, the technology was created by programming one of earth’s most abundant materials - wood. Calibrated to World Health Organisation standards for healthy home, the device that shows you when your home is too damp, or too cold. His hygroscopic horns uncurl when humidity is over 65%, and thermochromic ink on his face turns blue below 18ºC. A smart, sustainable and unmistakably Kiwi icon of home health, Mr Humfreez forms the centrepiece of ANZ’s Healthy Homes initiative.

We turned the ANZ Healthy Homes Package into the emotional heart of our entire home loans proposition. In a competitive home loans market that was in a rate-race to the bottom, we focused on adding value to homes, not taking value away from a home loan. We aimed to show Kiwis the health of the home in a way that made them care about this issue. So we created a sustainable device that sparked healthy conversations, and unashamedly looked great in your home. We discovered the gatekeepers to a healthy home are young mums, as children are the ones most affected by damp, cold homes. Our solution was aimed at educating children and young families. We gave children a voice in our communication, used the family home as the context for our message, and empowered both teachers and children through a pilot learning module in a primary school.

In the run up to winter, Mr Humfreez by ANZ was launched with a nationwide integrated campaign, using media strategy to expose our message to those people most likely to care, talk and act. Our campaign ran across TV, OOH, Digital, Social, and owned channels making Mr Humfreez available to customers, encouraging Kiwis to visit our website where they could register for our smart sheep and our interest-free loans for insulation and heating. Recognising that paid media can only achieve so much, Mr Humfreez made appearances in leading national talk shows, breakfast TV and radio programs. Sign ups were encouraged across every channel- paid, owned and earned. We also prioritised environments like schools where our devices could be seen and engaged with by many, to ensure our message spread far beyond households and into communities. We’ve engaged with government agencies and not for profits to embed the learnings from this.

Mr Humfreez helped turn long-term decline into market share growth for ANZ in Home Loans.

The campaign led to a revenue return of $30.80 for every dollar spent on media – a 24.5% increase on all previous home loan advertising.

It has also helped reverse declines in corporate reputation and brand consideration.

3X more New Zealanders now link ANZ with ‘warmer, more efficient homes’.

Mr Humfreez drove 5X more search volume than any other ANZ campaign.

Government agencies and NGOs have reached out to seek potential partnership opportunities - including Housing NZ, EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), The Asthma & Respiratory Foundation and Habitat for Humanity.

Mass production is underway in phase 2 due to global demand.

Mr Humfreez is being trialled as a teaching tool to become part of the NZ school curriculum, helping future generations learn about the importance of a warm, dry home.