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In an ad for Barclaycard, McCann has ridiculed the way other banks treat their customers like children
Financial advertising seems to be child’s play at the moment. In an ad for Barclaycard, the creative minds at McCann-Erickson have taken that thought and turned it on its head. The ad quite clearly takes the stance that while every other bank offering a credit card treats its customers like children, Barclaycard customers are treated like the intelligent group that they are.
Research by McCann and Barclays revealed that customers feel that banks bombard them with irrelevant products and services, and then patronise them by explaining how each service will benefit them. “Our endeavour is to bring out the fact that a Barclaycard holder is intelligent enough to manage and control his finances,” says Akshay Kapnadak, creative director, McCann-Erickson.
A still from the Barclaycard ad |
The ad talks of the credit card’s features such as credit limit, flexible billing cycles and repayment options. The approach in the ad uses the idea of communicating “adult to adult”, while the communication is a blatant statement on the competition, admits Kapnadak. “Most banks tend to offer irrelevant freebies to customers, almost like lollipops,” he says, explaining how the idea for the ad emerged.
The ad has been directed by Shoojit Sircar of Rising Sun Films.