I like the new Barclays spot “Fake” by Venables Bell & Partners, which contrasts “A flimsy street of financial fakery” to the Barclays’ “Bank on substance” positioning. The voice over states, “…Is it too much to ask for a little insight and sound judgment? Maybe its our devotion to these principles that’s made us a bit more… substantial.”
Really, the underlying message about security, steadfastness and solidity is no different from what a lot of bank marketing is relaying nowadays. It’s the creative execution that really sets this spot apart and makes it memorable. The spot takes the intangible concept of “financial fakery” and turns it into a panicked, real-life experience of a world filled with cardboard buildings and dummies with one man left. It also clearly alludes to the so-called “collapse of the financial industry” by showing buildings being punched through and knocked down – with of course Barclays being the only solid thing left standing.
While I’m not a huge fan of playing off of public fear or emphasizing the negative, I believe that the “movie set world” metaphor in this spot is pretty effective at getting the message across.