How banks have had to adapt ad strategies post-credit crunch

As a low-interest category, financial services marketing tended before the recession to focus on the shortcomings of category competitors - often in humorous treatments - rather than positive aspects of the client’s own service.

How banks have had to adapt ad strategies post-credit crunch

Graham Fowles

In most product categories, brands are generally pretty keen to represent their own products or services in advertising. Apple, for one, seems set on demonstrating its wares in creative work. Even at the more functional end of the IT category, Dell is also keen to get its product in front of consumers.

However, in financial services, the rules are different. Before the credit crunch, a high proportion of UK-based financial services providers were happier to tell people what they weren’t like and what they didn’t do, rather than...

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