Inside ASB’s Big Little GetWise Show: How a Bank Made One of NZ’s Most Creative Kids Content Series
A banking marketer walks into a school classroom and asks: what if we taught financial literacy the same way kids learn from Bluey?
If you asked most marketers where creativity goes to die, many would jokingly say financial services. Layers of compliance. Endless risk reviews. The invisible hand of “We can’t say that”.
Yet in this episode, Hamish Russell, Social and Content Lead at ASB, shares a story that flips that stereotype on its head.
This is a conversation about navigating risk while making genuinely creative work. It’s about carving out space in an unlikely environment. And it’s the story of how ASB created The Big Little GetWise Show: a handcrafted, Kiwi-made kids series teaching financial skills to primary-aged students.
Spoiler: it was made in under two months, filmed at TVNZ, written in-house, scored with 10 original songs, and stitched together on a shoestring budget.
This is what’s possible when marketers stop waiting for permission and start creating.
The Context: Creativity, Compliance, and a Bank That Wants to Stand Apart
Hamish didn’t join ASB expecting a creative renaissance. Worried (as many agency creatives are) that moving to a bank would dull his edge.
But once he began working with ASB from agency-side, he saw something different:
A brand with a clear purpose
Leaders pushing for more creativity
A space where brand differentiation mattered more than ever
Because, as Hamish points out, banking is a category where products are essentially the same. The colour palette changes (green vs red vs yellow), but the offering rarely does.
So if the products are similar, the story becomes the differentiator.
This mindset created the space for something unexpected to flourish.
Key Themes from the Conversation
1. Creativity Thrives When You Find the Cracks
Hamish talks openly about the reality of risk in banking. You can’t ignore it. But you can find the spaces where creativity can live safely.
Instead of pushing the boundaries of product messaging, he focused on community, education, and social storytelling, places where creativity can stretch without risking compliance chaos.
2. When Everyone Zigs, Find Your Own Territory
ASB has a 150-year history in youth financial literacy. Deposit books. Money boxes. Classroom visits.
Rather than manufacturing a new story, Hamish amplified an existing one:
GetWise, ASB’s in-school programme, reaches thousands of students
Facilitators teach money basics without selling product
The content is genuinely helpful, not a thinly disguised ad
This heritage made GetWise the perfect candidate for digital reinvention.
3. When You Can’t Find the Right Partner, Become the Partner
Hamish initially explored partnering with YouTubers or influencers. But all the content resonating with Kiwi kids was overseas: Bluey, Miss Rachel, American creators with bright colours and hyperactive editing.
No local equivalent existed.
So he made one.
The Spark: Turning a Classroom Programme Into a Digital World
The insight was simple but powerful:
If kids are spending hours watching YouTube, why not put structured, Kiwi-made financial literacy content right where they already are?
Hamish and his team:
Interviewed teachers and facilitators
Mapped out what engages primary-aged kids
Identified the most beloved characters from the in-school programme
Scoped how to translate them to digital video
The result:
A nine-episode series, broken into 36 small modules of 3 to 6 minutes each — perfect for classroom or home viewing.
Designed to be:
Bite-sized
Fun
Handmade
Bright, musical, and puppet-filled
True to ASB’s purpose without selling to kids
The Reality: Budget Constraints Forced Creative Ingenuity
This was not a big-budget production. In fact, it wasn’t in anyone’s budget at all.
Hamish went “cap in hand” across the organisation to fund it:
Two episodes were funded by the fraud and scams team
Some by marketing
Some from the GetWise unit
Some from scraps and goodwill
He jokes he became a “master of manipulation”, but really it was a masterclass in cross-business collaboration.
And constraints unlocked creativity:
Hand-painted sets
DIY puppets
Songs written in-house
Set pulled together with TVNZ friends
Production by small, agile partner Good Viking
Filmed under ridiculous time pressure to align with Cyber Awareness Week
This is the kind of creativity most marketers forget they’re capable of.
Why This Worked: The ASB Culture + Leadership Factor
Hamish credits ASB’s leadership, especially CMO Helen, with providing trust and space.
When he pitched the idea, her immediate reaction was:
“Why haven’t we done this already?”
That trust meant fewer layers of approvals and more creative control.
He still checked with legal, fraud ops, financial wellbeing, and GetWise.
But he kept the process lean.
In his words, once the project was moving:
“I just grabbed the ball and ran for the try line.”
A rare sentence in a bank. And a rare move that paid off.
Lessons and Takeaways for Marketers
1. Creativity doesn’t die in regulated industries — but it must be channelled wisely
You can’t make the riskiest work. But you can make the most meaningful work.
2. Solve real problems, not marketing problems
Teachers wanted short, modular content.
Kids wanted locally made shows.
Facilitators are needed to reach more classrooms.
ASB solved all three.
3. Use the skills you already have before outsourcing
The team leveraged:
In-house copywriters
TVNZ experience
A content creator who writes music
Facilitators who already know what kids respond to
Many brands forget how much talent already sits inside the building.
4. Democratise content when the purpose is bigger than the brand
By placing it on YouTube Kids and keeping it free, ASB ensured that anyone can access it.
5. Don’t drown your main channels with niche content
ASB is tactically promoting it to teachers and parents, not filling its primary social feeds with kids’ content. Smart segmentation.
Practical Insights from the Episode
For teams wanting to build content in-house:
Start with passion projects, they ignite the best work
Build cross-functional mini-squads
Use constraints as creative fuel
Make approvals fast by tightly scoping what needs sign-off
Showcase early builds to stakeholders to build confidence
For brands in regulated industries:
Use educational content to separate from product compliance
Find heritage stories you can modernise
Keep the brand presence subtle when teaching kids
Partner with business units who share aligned objectives
For anyone producing video for young audiences:
Keep episodes modular
Follow primary school timing rhythms
Keep visuals bright and tactile
Don’t underestimate the power of music or puppets
Validate everything with real teachers
What’s Next: Season Two? More Characters? More Funding?
Though only a couple of weeks old, the series is already gaining:
Hundreds of views per episode
Photos from classrooms using it
Positive internal feedback
Interest from external funding bodies
Hamish’s dream?
A Season Two that expands into new topics, especially with financial literacy becoming part of NZ’s national curriculum.
The characters are ready. The need is real. And the appetite inside ASB seems strong.
This episode isn’t just about a content series. It’s a case study in modern marketing inside large organisations:
Creativity built within constraints
A marketer championing an idea others hadn’t imagined
Purpose-led storytelling that actually serves an audience
Internal collaboration done right
A bank behaving like a kids’ TV studio to create real impact
If you want to see what this looks like in practice — and why teachers and parents are already engaging — Hamish wants you to go watch it.
Search “The Big Little GetWise Show” on YouTube or YouTube Kids.
And then come back and tell us your favourite puppet.
Call to Action
If you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes deep dive, make sure to:
Watch the episode video
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