Where the money doesn't stink
Bank marketing I Bank Coop positions itself as a decent bank with a spicy image campaign by Ruf Lanz.
Bank marketing I Bank Coop positions itself as a decent bank with a spicy image campaign by Ruf Lanz.
Money makes the world go round and doesn't stink. The bankers of the Imperum Romanum already knew this. And because the Helvetii were so careful to follow this credo, Switzerland became one of the most important financial centers in the world - even if it took almost 2,000 years to do so. Admittedly, the secretive banking nation has had to make the painful experience in recent years that its image has been tarnished by the excessive strain on business ethics. The more bribery and corruption money was confiscated and dormant assets appeared in Swiss bank accounts, the more stubbornly the image of a hub country stuck, and the more seriously banking secrecy came under pressure. Nevertheless, the morally serious questions raised by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC) not only brought the shortcomings in due diligence to the attention of the media. Above all, the SFBC succeeded in imposing stricter standards on all financial institutions.
Always a decent bank
Against this backdrop and the banks' declining advertising spending, Bank Coop's focus was given new relevance because, according to the brand founding, it was to position itself within the triangle of values of credibility, discipline and decency. "Bank Coop has always been a decent bank. This is the grace of its history as a bank of cooperative members and trade unionists," says Christoph Loeb, Head of Communications and a member of Bank Coop management. Even if all banks today can boast these attributes, there is still a small difference in the history of Bank Coop. In order to fulfil the mission - to raise awareness among Coop customers and SMEs and to position the bank - Ruf Lanz boldly and pointedly dramatizes the UAP enshrined in the company's guiding principle in the brand campaign: prosperity through decency.
The focus of the campaign is on the subject of "potentates", which was implemented in a TV commercial and a double-page advertisement. In it, the agency lists those unscrupulous tyrants who have placed "their" assets in safekeeping in Swiss bank accounts and have been legally convicted for doing so. Dictators such as Manuel Noriega, Mobutu Sese Seko and Ferdinand Marcos indirectly advertise Bank Coop - which proudly states in the headline that not everyone has an account with it. In the second print motif, the creatives show where the Basler-Kantonalbank subsidiary has no branches: in the notorious tax havens.
In addition to the main commercial, there is another film featuring the notorious US lawyer Edward Fagan. How is that possible given his popularity, you might ask? Quite simply: the damages claimant who has made the Swiss banking groups sweat is asked by a reporter on arrival at Zurich airport what he thinks of the Swiss bank Coop. The otherwise well-informed lawyer thinks for a long time before he confesses helplessly, "Bank Coop - I don't know. Never heard of it" and walks on, exasperated.
Markus Ruf also uses unconventional means such as movie tickets to reinforce the positioning, with a clear statement on the back: "If a numbered account at a Swiss bank plays a role in the following feature film: We are proud to say that no one will think of Bank Coop."
Markus Ruf at his best: The ads build up an image for Bank Coop with negative associations.
Bank marketing Ruf Lanz is creating a new image for Bank Coop - with negative connotations. One of the main roles is played by US star lawyer Ed Fagan (in the TV commercial) >> p. 7
Luca Aloisi
Money makes the world go round and doesn't stink. The bankers of the Imperum Romanum already knew this. And because the Helvetii were so careful to follow this credo, Switzerland became one of the most important financial centers in the world - even if it took almost 2,000 years to do so. Admittedly, the secretive banking nation has had to make the painful experience in recent years that its image has been tarnished by the excessive strain on business ethics. The more bribery and corruption money was confiscated and dormant assets appeared in Swiss bank accounts, the more stubbornly the image of a hub country stuck, and the more seriously banking secrecy came under pressure. Nevertheless, the morally serious questions raised by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC) not only brought the shortcomings in due diligence to the attention of the media. Above all, the SFBC succeeded in imposing stricter standards on all financial institutions.
Always a decent bank
Against this backdrop and the banks' declining advertising spending, Bank Coop's focus was given new relevance because, according to the brand founding, it was to position itself within the triangle of values of credibility, discipline and decency. "Bank Coop has always been a decent bank. This is the grace of its history as a bank of cooperative members and trade unionists," says Christoph Loeb, Head of Communications and a member of Bank Coop management. Even if all banks today can boast these attributes, there is still a small difference in the history of Bank Coop. In order to fulfil the mission - to raise awareness among Coop customers and SMEs and to position the bank - Ruf Lanz boldly and pointedly dramatizes the UAP enshrined in the company's guiding principle in the brand campaign: prosperity through decency.
The focus of the campaign is on the subject of "potentates", which was implemented in a TV commercial and a double-page advertisement. In it, the agency lists those unscrupulous tyrants who have placed "their" assets in safekeeping in Swiss bank accounts and have been legally convicted for doing so. Dictators such as Manuel Noriega, Mobutu Sese Seko and Ferdinand Marcos indirectly advertise Bank Coop - which proudly states in the headline that not everyone has an account with it. In the second print motif, the creatives show where the Basler-Kantonalbank subsidiary has no branches: in the notorious tax havens.
In addition to the main commercial, there is another film featuring the notorious US lawyer Edward Fagan. How is that possible given his popularity, you might ask? Quite simply: the damages claimant who has made the Swiss banking groups sweat is asked by a reporter on arrival at Zurich airport what he thinks of the Swiss bank Coop. The otherwise well-informed lawyer thinks for a long time before he confesses helplessly, "Bank Coop - I don't know. Never heard of it" and walks on, exasperated.
Markus Ruf also uses unconventional means such as movie tickets to reinforce the positioning, with a clear statement on the back: "If a numbered account at a Swiss bank plays a role in the following feature film: We are proud to say that no one will think of Bank Coop."
Markus Ruf at his best: The ads build up an image for Bank Coop with negative associations.
Bank marketing Ruf Lanz is creating a new image for Bank Coop - with negative connotations. One of the main roles is played by US star lawyer Ed Fagan (in the TV commercial) >> p. 7
Luca Aloisi
