Monkey business with Neanderthals

In Zurich, they are part of the street scene: Neanderthals in Gucci, Armani or Boss. They never hold the door open for their fellow human beings, squeeze into the only free elevator in front of a mother with a baby carriage and often eat as if they've come straight from the zoo. They like to come along in their black Porsche Cayenne. Too fast, of course. An angry "A...ff!" usually escapes me when I see this species. Often with the prefix "banker-". Which is, of course, undifferentiated, because these guys are often not money pushers at all, but simply other managers or other busybodies from some carpeted floors.

Wealthy primordial beasts

The "VZ VermögensZentrum" is currently advertising with such an ape, or more precisely: a Neanderthal. The very hairy prehistoric man sits in a tailored suit with a diagonally striped tie and cigar in front of coffee and cognac, staring glassily into the distance. Presumably in the hope of bigger payouts. Two other subjects show two other Neanderthals, one at an executive desk behind a newspaper, the other in a sensual pose in a leather armchair. The clothing and surroundings of the three creatures appear cultured, but in body, brain and soul, all three are just primordial beasts, better suited to hunting deer and shouting Uga-uga than to bigger deals with a lot of cash. Just like the gentlemen from Bahnhofstrasse, who don't need to behave.

Close is also over

Below the subjects is a lot of text, white on a suit-colored background. The VZ VermögensZentrum logo is the most noticeable thing in this jumble of letters, the rest is lost for the time being. Oops. The newspaper reader sees: A Neanderthal, looking rather silly, and below it the logo of the asset management company. The first reaction, at least mine: "Oh look, now they're showing their CEO as an advertisement!" Cliché confirmed, scroll on. Bad shot to the back. This is probably how many recipients will react. As a writer for Werbewoche, in a case like this you naturally turn the page back and take a closer look: What are the banker monkeys actually trying to tell us? That self-knowledge is the first road to recovery? That in future they will put both hands on the table when eating instead of putting one arm next to the plate and the other in their lap?

The search for the message

A really good sentence under each subject explains what this is all about: "Successful investors do not rely on their basic instincts." That's reassuring at first. And in combination with the Neanderthal image, it is captivatingly pointed and funny. Humor when it comes to really big money - that's courageous. Bravo Ruf Lanz. But why isn't this sentence written large above the picture? Or at least in big letters below it. Unfortunately, the little bit of bold print doesn't save the day. Because it takes too long to understand the meaning of this advertisement. The core message is lost. What sticks: Bankers are apes and behave like Neanderthals. And they don't even look good. We already knew that. Advertising that only works on second glance doesn't work at all. At least not with a target group for whom time is money and money is the most important thing of all. They don't have a minute to take a closer look. What a pity, really.