The Commonwealth Bank is currently running an advertisement that irks me.
It is the suggestion box basketball ad.
Beyond all the arty-farty advertiser speak and debate over the campaign’s merits in the industry media, it contains a terminology flaw that sticks out like dogs balls.
When the kid says, “Can’t we just promise to fix it?” my hackles go up.
It pisses me off that CBA pays big money to rub our noses in the fact that its client base is dumb enough to be fobbed off with a hollow promise.
Any of us who’ve been the victim of a bank — any bank, not just Commonwealth Bank — know full well that they are quick to promise and long on delivery… if they ever deliver at all.
Other giants are also big on service-level agreements and customer service policies, but when it comes down to it, we, the customers, can just get stuffed.
Tell me what happened when you last lodged an official complaint with a telco. I’m guessing you were told you’d get a guaranteed response within a certain time. Did you? No. Me neither. Fobbed off with a promise. It doesn’t feel nice, does it? I know I feel like a chump each time I believe a promise and then get put back over the barrel in the Gimp suit.
The difference between the big players in any industry and you and I is that we have to keep our promises. Do you?
For us, the numbers game and client service are too tightly intertwined to allow us to discard the people we break our promises to. Or, more accurately, be discarded ourselves by our clients.
When I started my business, the fundamental operating principles included showing up on time and doing what we say we are going to do. It is that simple. It really is!
The Commonwealth Bank advertising gurus are so disassociated with the reality of what the organisation is doing that they don’t even see the glaring error they’ve made. I mean, the ad got to air, didn’t it? And more than once.
I’ve seen ads with barely suggestive bananas taken off air faster than this mistake. What were they thinking? Even if the Commonwealth Bank does deliver on promises, and I am pretty sure they don’t on a regular basis, would you as their marketing person give potential clients the opportunity to bundle you “with the rest”? The answer you are looking for is “no”.
It is all well and good to be different from the rest of your industry. It is quite daft to think that the market space won’t tar you with the same brush until you’ve proven that you are different.
This is a particular problem of the service industries. Just how do your potential clients tell the difference between the truth you are telling and the lies your competition spread until they’ve tried both of you and learnt the hard way?
Even if you are offering something brilliantly unique service-wise, your unscrupulous opposition will be offering it falsely within a heartbeat and you are back to a level playing field (except for the nasty after taste).
Right now I don’t really have an answer for you.
Perhaps we could wait until honesty comes back in vogue? The trend graphs on that one aren’t looking real promising though (no pun intended).
I’ve been to hundreds of business breakfasts and heard terms like “congruence” bandied about. It is about being consistent, honest and, you know, doing what you say you are going to do.
I’m pretty sure though that the answer is that I am wrong to worry about what the rest are doing. Hmmm?!
David Moore has 25 years experience in the computer industry and is now Principle PC Hater at ihatemypc.com.au.
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Mark Ostryn
November 26th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I often write detailed and thoughtful responses to SC opinion pieces. This one can be summed up in 2 words “RIGHT ON!”
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Dave
November 26th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
CBA has made mistake after mistake with some of my accounts. They even had the audacity to claim that I had made the mistakes even-though I had all the evidence to prove that it was their shoddy operations and procedures.
That’s right spend vasts amount of money on advertising campaigns instead of making wrongs right and improve your true service and image through word of mouth from happier customers.
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Marney Perna
November 26th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Hi David
I totally agree with you. The banks (in this case) can do whatever they want, and do by inserting a disclaimer in the fine print that says exactly that. We are not responsible for any thing we do and you can do nothing about it.
Myself and many friends are caught up in the Storm Financial Scenario and we are all being totally screwed by the banks, ASIC and Financial Planners all of whom have lied cheated and to date are getting away with it. To top it off they are telling the general public how nice they are to sort out their mistakes and the public believe it, just wished it were true.
I believe the term “honest banking” or “trust me I am a financial adviser” are examples of an oxymoron.
There is nothing honest or trustworthy of any of them.
Cheers
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Barbara
November 26th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
does anyone else get teh feeling that banks are so deeply hated even marketing companies they pay the big bucks to don’t want to paint them in a good light?
between CBA’s ads (the one mentioned above, coupled with all the related ads) just makes all decision makers at banks look like halfwits. They want themselves portrayed as engaging snake oil salesmen to promote their services?? what?
And it is also the ANZ bank, where we are all meant to be amazed that an employee of their bank, who is high enough to be a boardroom decision-maker can actually come up with a good idea – THAT’S how they want to best portray themselves? Or another employee who can’t manage to open the door to his office. mmmm, good one ANZ, show your “Falcon” security system to be overly-complicated and not work anyway, GREAT advertising that.
And as for any bank claiming that they will promise to fix what’s wrong – we all KNOW that this means “Ooops, if we stuffed up, we’ll fix it (because legally we have to anyway), but if it is just something you think we SHOULD do, well haw-haw-haw that won’t happen because we own the bat and the ball in this game.” so what’s the point of the ad?
Dear CBA, I am not happy with paying an overdraught fee. Please promise to fix it so I never get charged this again. – Oh yeah, I’ll hold my breath on that one shall I?
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Chris Blackman
November 26th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Nearly all of my business comes from referrals. Referrals from past clients referring me to their network contacts, friends, business associates, customers, suppliers, and so on.
I wonder how many banks get their new business from referral? It seems to me the main reason people change banks is to get away from an unfortunate experience. A bit like incumbent governments that lose rather than oppositions that win. Banks never actually win new business, they just pick up what another bank loses.
Oh yes, and the ad is incredibly annoying. What is the child doing in the meeting anyway? What does b-b-basket-ball have to do with anything. How would a customer write anything meaningful on a ball, for Pete’s sake?
I have a better idea. Banks could provide suggestion forms, bricks and elastic bands at their branches. A dissatisfied customer writes the suggestion onto the form, wraps it round the brick with the elastic band, goes outside and “submits” their suggestion by throwing it through the bank’s shopfront window. The bank acknowledges receipt with the brief sound of breaking glass.
That ought to make them take notice.
While they’re at it, they could chuck one through the front window of the ad agency too.
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Lesley-Ann
November 26th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Indeed…and don’t get me started on those incredibly cheezy and almost amusingly insincere Westpac Ads. “We’re for ” How dumb do these banks really think we are???
“Thank you” to ‘The Greater’ Building Society who has the thoughtfulness to use Jerry Seinfeld in their ads, following in the ING/Billy Conolly tried and true formula…at least then I feel like they’ve made the effort to deliver their message in a way I at least find palatable
Bank West have the best Ads by far…I believe they even make some sort of effort to keep their promises too! But that’s just what I hear…I have no personal experience with them.
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Mark
November 26th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I think the issue is even deeper – since when has it become a consumer privilige for a company to offer its customers good service and a promise?
This should be something we receive as an absolute standard. This is not a privilege!
Its pretty sad that today a company can try to differentiate itself by telling us they will keep their promises and give us good customer service.
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Daniel Redman
November 26th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Please consider the audience we have here and the various responses. Unfortunately, much of the media we are subjected to is transparent to few. Many do not see through the blatant abuse of basic human psyche. Their marketing is working – to the disgust of a minority. I believe that people (especially Australians) are optimistic by nature and will appreciate the message that ComBank are portraying – we (and our competitors) have stuffed up in the ‘past’ and we are the ones that are going to change. Whether they do or not is irrelevant as there will be a perception that they are providing better service!
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David
November 26th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Don’t worry about the literalness of these ads (for example – “how is a person meant to write their name on a basketball?). The ads are just stupid.
I still don’t even understand the CBA ad that floats the concept of them having used an American ad agency. It was a joke? It shows what they would do to overcome an ill-informed agency? I just really don’t get it.
I think in reality, real CBA people did get pitched a series of ads from a half-brained agency but the real marketing staff actually were duped.
OR
The brief they gave the agencies was so stupid that the agencies could only come back with dross.
And why advertise anyway? The millions of dollars these ads cost will not be what encourages an individual or business to swap banks. They’d be better off to channel their shareholders’ money into supporting worthy causes and show that even though they have no brains, they at least have hearts!
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