The Challenge
Romance scams are invisible dangers. In New Zealand, nearly $200 million was lost to scams in a single year, with ANZ identifying roughly three romance scam victims weekly. Yet the conversation stops there - victims rarely report, rarely speak up. Why? Shame. The emotional manipulation of romance scams leaves people isolated and embarrassed, too mortified to admit they were duped by false promises of love and companionship. With over 95% of these scams originating online through dating apps and social platforms, the crime happens in the privacy of smartphones where it's nearly impossible to spot. The perpetrators are sophisticated - they invest time, craft believable personas, and weaponize human vulnerability. They know that love makes people irrational, and they exploit it ruthlessly. Meanwhile, public perception remained dangerously optimistic. People believed they could identify a scam seduction, despite having no idea what to look for. Banks were seen as reactive, publishing warnings that nobody read, rather than actively protecting their communities. ANZ faced a core challenge: How do you make an invisible danger impossible to ignore? How do you break the stigma, spark conversation, and equip New Zealanders with practical knowledge; all while proving ANZ is the bank that keeps customers safe? The answer required more than education. It demanded disruption.
The Solution
Turn romance scams into something people could see, smell, and feel. We created specially-engineered roses to mimic the experience of a romance scam - beautiful from afar, but emitting a fishy scent up close. Then we hijacked Valentine’s Day with the blooms available at a one-off, pop-up flower shop in Central Auckland, luring passersby in with the promise of love before revealing the phishy truth. It was playful but pointed - uncomfortable in the way disruption should be. The pop-up flower shop was the high-street hook, with media, influencers and public in attendance. Brand ambassadors guided visitors through the experience, offering cheeky Valentine's cards and wrapping paper containing practical prevention tips disguised as romantic guidance. QR codes around the experience directed people to an online hub to learn how to spot the signs of romance scams. Strategic media outreach created newsworthy earned coverage that dominated Valentine's Day conversations nationwide, and influencers amplified Scammers Bloom with authentic reactions and educational content, extending the story to harder-to-reach audiences beyond traditional news cycles. Every touchpoint - from the smell of the flowers to the language on the cards - was engineered for one purpose: making an invisible crime undeniable, turning hidden shame into public conversation, and positioning ANZ not as a bank issuing warnings, but as a partner actively standing beside customers.
