Down-to-earth lasts longest in Vaud
Bank Marketing II: Following the upheaval at Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, the bank’s new advertising agency, DDB in Bern, is now letting customers have their say.
Bank marketing II After the storm at Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, the new in-house agency DDB, Berne, is now letting customers have their say.The news hit like a bombshell at the end of October 2002: the canton of Vaud had to provide a massive financial injection for its own cantonal bank - just three months after it had already helped out Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV) with CHF 600 million. No less than CHF 1.25 billion in public funds had to be pumped back into the ailing financial institution. The reaction to the debacle at the time was rather clumsy crisis communication: an advertising campaign - harmonious group pictures with men - attempted to win back the lost trust and convey calm business as usual. The consultant and concept developer of the Lausanne agency responsible justified "the forward strategy" - according to BCV's communications manager at the time - by saying that it was a B2B campaign that was of little interest to the man in the street. Far from it.
Low profile looks more honest
The current management takes a fundamentally different view. The new management wants to reduce the bank's risk profile and get earnings back on track with a radical overhaul. The realignment restricts the bank's activities to its core business. It now ranges from the savings and lending business to asset management, securities and foreign exchange trading as well as support for individual major clients.
Consequently, those responsible also drew a definitive line under the scandals and crises in the communication strategy. BCV is embarking on a new era with fresh forces and a new in-house agency. DDB, Bern/Lausanne, won the mandate in a competitive presentation among five Lausanne agencies.
The team led by CD Gilles Aeby responded to this desired return with proverbial Vaudois sobriety. "The aim was to focus on the personal relationship with the customer, the humanity of the institution and the local business in day-to-day business and in the external image," says Aeby. So much patience and generosity on the part of the owner can ultimately only be explained by the roots of the institution. After all, market research has shown that consumers are very forgiving in their relationship with the bank and tend to react lethargically to indulgences. In addition, the strong presence in the canton and the far-reaching commitment in the areas of culture, sport and education further confirm customer loyalty.
The institutional image campaign, which was created in collaboration with the DDB siblings in Geneva and Zurich, builds on this emotional connection and puts customers at the center. Vaudois from all four corners of the canton and from all age groups present their ideas, plans and visions, which do not, however, contain any statements about the bank. This is a tried and tested testimonial concept, the unpretentious implementation of which was also used by the Brot und Spiele agency for Glarner Kantonalbank in 2001. The message is clear: BCV listens to the concerns of its customers.
In a second phase, however, more product- and performance-related subjects are to follow, focusing on the mortgage business, private banking or asset management. But here too, people will once again play the leading role, says Aeby.
Men's businessIn the aftermath of the financial debacle last fall, BCV was still going for high profile. The aim was to signal to the public that the bank is there for its customers even in times of crisis. At the time, however, BCV's top management spent a long time considering whether
the campaign should not be postponed because it could have been counterproductive at the time in question. As the advertising space had already been reserved, the decision was made to publish the less meaningful slogan after all. (la)
Luca Aloisi
Low profile looks more honest
The current management takes a fundamentally different view. The new management wants to reduce the bank's risk profile and get earnings back on track with a radical overhaul. The realignment restricts the bank's activities to its core business. It now ranges from the savings and lending business to asset management, securities and foreign exchange trading as well as support for individual major clients.
Consequently, those responsible also drew a definitive line under the scandals and crises in the communication strategy. BCV is embarking on a new era with fresh forces and a new in-house agency. DDB, Bern/Lausanne, won the mandate in a competitive presentation among five Lausanne agencies.
The team led by CD Gilles Aeby responded to this desired return with proverbial Vaudois sobriety. "The aim was to focus on the personal relationship with the customer, the humanity of the institution and the local business in day-to-day business and in the external image," says Aeby. So much patience and generosity on the part of the owner can ultimately only be explained by the roots of the institution. After all, market research has shown that consumers are very forgiving in their relationship with the bank and tend to react lethargically to indulgences. In addition, the strong presence in the canton and the far-reaching commitment in the areas of culture, sport and education further confirm customer loyalty.
The institutional image campaign, which was created in collaboration with the DDB siblings in Geneva and Zurich, builds on this emotional connection and puts customers at the center. Vaudois from all four corners of the canton and from all age groups present their ideas, plans and visions, which do not, however, contain any statements about the bank. This is a tried and tested testimonial concept, the unpretentious implementation of which was also used by the Brot und Spiele agency for Glarner Kantonalbank in 2001. The message is clear: BCV listens to the concerns of its customers.
In a second phase, however, more product- and performance-related subjects are to follow, focusing on the mortgage business, private banking or asset management. But here too, people will once again play the leading role, says Aeby.
Men's businessIn the aftermath of the financial debacle last fall, BCV was still going for high profile. The aim was to signal to the public that the bank is there for its customers even in times of crisis. At the time, however, BCV's top management spent a long time considering whether
the campaign should not be postponed because it could have been counterproductive at the time in question. As the advertising space had already been reserved, the decision was made to publish the less meaningful slogan after all. (la)
Luca Aloisi
