The Story

Monolithic HSBC is trying to appear more customer-centric with their newest commercial, created by JWT London and production company Gorgeous. The tagline reads, “We recognize how people value things differently. So what we learn from one customer helps us better serve another.” While this statement feels a little empty, the commercial itself is […]

Bank marketing managers now have one more thing to pay attention to - language. Do your tellers see themselves as somehow separate or divided from the bank’s management? If so, this will cause cracks in what might otherwise be a seamless brand image.
Corporate branding is a discipline of the small and of the […]

Back in June, Fast Company asked the question many of us have been pondering, “Can Hotshot Ad Guy Alex Bogusky Make Microsoft Cool?” In short, the cover story discussed how Apple has single-handedly rebranded Microsoft as ‘uncool’ over the years, and how Microsoft is looking to change that by awarding its $300 million consumer-branding […]

Bank marketing is usually boring and forgettable - but not Expobank’s. Looks like even the financial industry is learning that sex sells.
Rather than promoting its excellent customer service, Expobank is differentiating itself as having the sexiest employees. That’s right - hot tellers - it’s like the Hooters of banks. The […]

As you may or may not know, Donnie Hoyle, the tutorial voice of “You Suck at Photoshop,” is not a “real” person. And if you haven’t seen the crude but useful Photoshop videos you can find them here. They were the brain child of Creative Director Troy Hitch (and team?) and were in fact not […]

I’m a big fan of metaphors and analogies—probably to the point where some of my team members, clients and partners get tired of hearing me talk about “building the foundation before you can put up the wallpaper in the bathroom,” and other of my little gems.
On his blog The Financial Brand, Jeffry Pilcher threw out […]

This article in the Puget Sound Business Journal got me thinking about the lack of niche marketing of financial services. Sure, there are banks (like Plaza Bank) targeting larger minority populations, especially Hispanics and Asian Americans, but what about other demographic niches? Where is the bank that exclusively focuses on attracting a clientele […]

I recently intercepted yet another amusing, yet disturbing e-mail request on a popular discussion group for bank marketers. The request read:
“Would you please share ideas and pictures if possible, of July 4th events you’ve held at your bank offices and branches. I’m looking for smart decorating ideas, promotions, great websites to purchase items, […]

I first saw this commercial for German PostBank well over a year ago, and plum forgot about it until it popped up in a random search today. Frankly, I’ve never seen a better, or more witty, TV spot produced for a bank.

Why oh why can’t my bank have a sense of humor too?

Check out this amazing concept designed by architect Adam Kalkin. Taking the idea of the portable house to the utmost, he created a push button structure (seen here is the portable coffee shop version for the coffee brand illy). To open the building, all it takes is the push of one button and voila! you […]