TDA Boulder looked at stock banking and financial ads and found nuggets of humor in their bland predictability.
The agency decided to mine those clichés for a campaign, “No Nonsense Banking,” its debut campaign for new client First Interstate Bank.
The hero spot, “Every Step,” is a prime example. When banks say they’ll be with you “every step of the way,” they don’t really mean it, because that would be weird, according to the narrator, a guy who is omnipresent in a couple’s life, including at their engagement, the birth of their child, and even driving lessons.
Instead of the weirdness, the campaign states that First Interstate will just be there when you need their services.
The rolling launch runs through the end of the year, and spans 10 states. This marks the independent agency’s first work for the Billings, Montana headquarter-based bank, which is the primary subsidiary of First Interstate BancSystem, Inc.
All the work is built around the simple idea that people don’t have patience for nonsense, and neither does First Interstate Bank. Rather than reinventing banking, the creative positions the brand as bringing banking back to the basics: straight answers, human relationships, and tools that work.
“Banking should be straightforward. People deserve clear answers, real relationships, and a partner they can count on. This campaign brings that belief to life. TDA Boulder captured who we are in a way that’s transparent and relatable,” stated Jim Reuter, First Interstate’s President and CEO.
Aside from the hero spot, the humor continues with other banking ad tropes. “Actor” shows a “ridiculously handsome” actor on a horse (which he just learned to ride), because companies love to use characters like him to relate to people. Instead, he refers to an actual banker, who is leading the horse, for the best advice.
“Handshake” shows a woman with a fake smile continuously and uncomfortably shaking a banker’s hand to show that stock photos don’t relay what banking should really be about.
“Keys” also plays on the stock photo concept.
“At a time when many things have become rather complicated, it is refreshing to have a bank that aspires to simplicity. No nonsense banking is just that,” stated Jonathan Schoenberg, ECD & Co-Owner, TDA Boulder.
The campaign includes audio, CTV, digital display, high-impact rich media, out-of-home, social, and search.
The media mix extends to out-of-home in places most major banks skip entirely.
“Middle of Nowhere” boards show up in towns that might feel remote to some but are exactly where First Interstate has long done business, with headlines including “The only B.S. out here comes from cattle,” “Because banking should be out in the open,” and “Out here, nonsense doesn’t last long.”
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Kyle O’Brien is managing editor of Indie Agency News.
