News Releases

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Nov 6, 2013) - BMO Harris Bank and Y&R Midwest today announced that they are launching a new advertising campaign featuring Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls players in support of BMO Harris Bank's debit cards for both teams.

The new advertising, which launches November 8, includes two 30-second spots and four 15-second spots airing throughout Chicago. This is the first time BMO Harris Bank has featured Chicago Bulls players in its advertising, and the third time BMO Harris has featured Chicago Blackhawks players.

In the new spots, BMO Harris Bank demonstrates how a fan carrying the BMO Harris debit card of his or her choice is really like carrying the team with you throughout the day. The spots will launch on November 8. "Weekday" features Chicago Blackhawks players Patrick Kane, Andrew Shaw, Bryan Bickell, Brandon Saad and Corey Crawford as they follow a BMO Harris debit cardholder throughout his day. The principal actor in the spot with the players is Christian Madsen, son of Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen. Christian will also be featured in the upcoming feature film, Divergent, opening in March 2014.

In "Weekend," Bulls players Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler follow a BMO Harris debit card owner throughout his daily routine, including breakfast, walking his dog, Lamaze class and having dinner.

"We've had an incredible partnership over the years with both the Bulls and the Blackhawks, and this year, we decided to do something special by featuring both teams in our advertising," says Justine Fedak, Senior Vice President and Head of Brand, Advertising and Sponsorships for BMO Financial Group, North America. "These spots truly reflect the personalities of the players and our brand in a very special way, and they demonstrate BMO Harris Bank is more than a sponsor -- we're huge fans."

"Working with these players was fantastic," said Bill Cimino, Chief Creative Officer of Y&R Chicago. "The players were so willing to have fun and work hard for us and they really made it easy for us to bring out their best. Aligning the BMO Harris b rand with these two iconic symbols of Chicago really works well for BMO Harris Bank."

About BMO Harris Bank
BMO Harris Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through more than 600 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. For more information about BMO Harris Bank, go to the company fact sheet. Banking products and services are provided by BMO Harris Bank N.A. and are subject to bank or credit approval. BMO Harris Bank^® is a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with approximately 1,600 branches, and CDN $549 billion in assets (as of July 31, 2013).

About Y&R
Y&R is one of the leading global marketing communications companies. It is made up of the iconic Y&R Advertising agency; VML, one of the leading global digital agencies, and iconmobile, a premier mobile marketing company. Y&R's founder, Raymond Rubicam, believed that the company's mission was to Resist the Usual on behalf of our clients. Today, that is kept alive by melding top-flight creativity with innovation to create new consumer experiences. Y&R's largest agency, Y&R Advertising, has 187 offices in 91 countries around the world, with clients that include, Campbell's Soup Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Virgin Atlantic, Xerox, GAP, Land Rover, and Telefonica, among many others.