Fast dough on the rise

Banks After a soft launch, Hesskiss supports the credit and leasing company Cashgate with classic advertising as it enters the market.In international comparison, the Swiss consumer credit business can hardly be described as big business. The financing product is still struggling with its negative image. However, reports of over-indebted young people and seizures are much less likely to affect the reputation of lending institutions than in the past. The Consumer Credit Act, which came into force two years ago and is intended to check creditworthiness more rigorously and prevent the debt trap, is likely to have contributed to this. Cantonal banks are becoming activeAccording to statistics from the ZEK (Association for the Management of a Central Office for Credit Information), the volume of consumer credit agreements increased by 5.4 percent to around CHF 6.6 billion at the end of 2004. At 400,900 contracts, the number of current consumer loans also rose slightly compared to the previous year (+1.6%). As not only the providers - market leaders GE Moneybank and Credit Suisse - but also experts believe that the credit market has great growth potential, this has brought other banks onto the scene. Several cantonal banks (Zürcher, Graubündner, Thurgauer and Schwyzer), together with the regional bank holding company Valiant, want to revive the consumer credit and leasing business under the Cashgate brand. With its own banking license, its own team and a very dense sales network (over 300 bank branches and half as many car dealerships), Cashgate is aiming for a double-digit market share in the medium term.
In order to position Cashgate independently from the competition, pitch winner Hesskiss opted for a special corporate color and a logo that not only conveys the seriousness of the new institution and its sales banks, but also quickly says "consumer finance". At the same time, the fairness in the claim conveys the central motto and the strategic positioning - far removed from disreputable practices. "Because loans and leasing are about realizing customers' dreams, we implemented precisely this in a simple but very sophisticated way," says Tamas Kiss, Managing Director of the agency. The campaign motifs show rooms in which the customer's wish - from a convertible to a vacation - has not yet materialized.
Both internal and external media are supported by creative below-the-line measures, such as the apparently very popular Schoggitaler, and special events.
Effective advertising for the credit institution: rooms that illustrate the customer's wishes with a keyword.

Luca Aloisi