Greater Bank
We did it! Here’s how:
Self-praise is no recommendation, so just rattling off a list of products and services wasn’t going to cut it for Greater Bank’s next big campaign. People crave realness. They need answers. They want actual help.
Greater Bank are all about answers. Frankly helping people is built into their DNA. We’d introduced a new tagline with their rebrand – Here’s how – and now was the time to really bring it to life.
Greater Bank has a consistently high customer satisfaction rating. Their customers love them! They love the simplicity of the products – they’re not basic, rather they’re uncomplicated. And they love the service. Because Greater Bank is mutual, they treat the customers as if they own the place (because they do).
We figured the best way to get this all across was to tell actual customer stories. What were their goals and dreams? What were the obstacles in their way? How did Greater Bank help them get what they want? We wanted real life and real emotion. So, we used real customers.
A casting call was put out to Greater Bank staff to find interesting customers. They didn’t disappoint. They came back with a heap of interesting people, all with a compelling story to tell about how Greater Bank made their dream possible. From a determined ballerina using her Life Saver Account to make the most of her hard-earned savings so she could travel overseas for auditions, to a man who turned his retrenchment into an opportunity to open a lolly shop with the help of a Greater Bank Business Loan.
Our tight crew travelled far and wide across NSW and even up to Queensland to meet these legends and record their stories. They welcomed us into their homes and businesses and told us everything! We’ve seldom met a more enthusiastic and passionate group of people. They gave us unprecedented access to their lives and gave glowing reports of Greater Bank and its staff. Some of the customers had actually worked in the industry for other financial institutions and knew when it came to their own family’s banking, there had to be better. This was all good stuff that you can’t just make up.
Stories and pics in the can, it was time to roll home and roll it out. There’s the full range of collateral from ATM screens and in-branch posters to billboards, buses and radio. Key to the idea was a We did it ‘hub’ on the Greater Bank website to showcase all of the stories in one place. Each customer then has their own page with a ‘long-form’ video piece where they tell their story in their own words.
We also produced a variety of ‘short-form’ versions of the customer stories and for these we took a slightly different tack. There’s no voiceover or talking – the story is told entirely with visuals and brief text overlays. With an appropriate rousing music score, they stand out on TV, but they also make perfect sense in the age of social media. When was the last time you actually watched a video with sound on as you scrolled through your social feed? It was also important that we tweaked the message for each medium. Anyone who whacks the standard 30 second TVC onto Facebook is just lazy.
Everyone has a story, big or small, that’s worth sharing, many of which serve as inspiration, to make others’ dreams come true.
In an age of fake news and alt facts, showing the real deal resonates. Greater Bank have seen increases across the board. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. They’ve won Bank of the Year (again!) as customer satisfaction stays high. And with people wanting to be involved in round two of the campaign, makes us think we’re on a good thing.