Questions are welcome

Neue Aargauer Bank (NAB) is going on the advertising offensive with a fresh image and a broad-based campaign by Euro RSCG. At the top of this campaign, a blue question mark serves as the new symbolic figure. This is representative of all kinds of financial questions that customers are concerned about. NAB offers competent answers to these questions and promises this with the claim: "We'll solve it." Beat Ruch, Head of Marketing Communications at NAB, answered a few more questions about the idea.

WW: How can you build trust with a question mark as an advertising figure?
Beat Ruch: The campaign strategy is based on the insight that at the beginning of a need there is a question. For example: How do I finance my dream home? How do I make the right provisions? However, these questions are not asked by people, but by a key symbol that stands for NAB's three core competencies: solution leadership, advisory expertise and innovative strength. To differentiate itself in bank advertising, the agency created an advertising figure. A question mark that embodies the needs of the target group. It asks financial questions that ordinary people also ask themselves.

In recent months, various banks have had to put up with uncomfortable questions. Can't it be dangerous to advertise a bank with a question mark?
Quite the opposite. We look forward to daily contact with our customers. Because that way we can prove our performance promise "We solve that" in practice. Certainly, the new appearance will provide a certain polarization. With the key visual "question mark", NAB communicates in a very innovative and in a rather untypical and thus strongly differentiating language in the banking world. This is precisely where I see the opportunity, because only advertising that is seen and also conveys relevant messages moves something in the market. And this rule certainly also applies to banking communication.

A question mark instead of satisfied smiling customers: What do you personally like about this concept?
The process from strategic campaign development to creative implementation took almost twelve months. An intensive time of daily interplay between head and gut work and of rational and also emotional persuasion to leave the "learned" path of classic banking and service communication. Based on the result, I am very proud that Neue Aargauer Bank has decided to take this courageous and differentiating step in all consistency. Consistent in every respect, because the question mark was also fully integrated into the new www.nab.ch website. The positive, in some cases even euphoric, internal and external reactions directly to the management prove us right and I personally like it quite a bit.

Is the question mark used in the longer term?
The question mark currently characterizes all our communication measures - cross-media and fully integrated. In the course of the year, further ideas will follow, which will bring NAB's services and events in the canton of Aargau into the conversation. In the future, we will also rely on the quick recognition value of the question mark. Interview: Andreas Panzeri