• by Fern Siegel , November 22, 2023

Martin Short's latest star turn in TV comedy was Hulu's hit show "Only Murders in the Building."

Now, the actor is the focus of a humorous Canada-only national campaign created by Preacher for online money-management platform Wealthsimple. The work is rolling out across broadcast, CTV, digital and social.

In it, Short plays a pampered, entitled diva version of himself. All prior advertising in Canada and the U.S., including a 2017 Super Bowl spot, was created in-house. This is Preacher's first work for the company.

The spot for the fintech company is titled "Martin Short's Short Day at Work." “Your money should work harder than this,” reads the closing title. 

The new ad marks the first campaign for Wealthsimple in almost two years.

“Instead of playing it on the nose and featuring people who work hard, it seemed more interesting to do the exact opposite. Cue Martin Short, who was gracious enough to help us create the world’s most obnoxiously lazy spokesperson,” said Zach Watkins, creative director at Preacher.

Founded in 2014, Wealthsimple appeals to young, high-earning investors who like tech-forward investment tools. To date, the company reports 3 million clients across Canada and manages over $20 billion in assets.

“Canadians are working harder than ever and finding it ridiculous that earning a consistent, healthy paycheck isn't enough to feel financially secure anymore,” said Rubina Singh, chief marketing officer at Wealthsimple. “Wealthsimple understands how difficult it can be to build personal wealth in today's tough economic climate. We offer a robust suite of financial tools from trading and investing to spending and saving that makes sure their money works as hard as they do."

Preacher's client work includes Tecovas, StreetEasy, Fanta and Shake Shack.