±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Skip to full table

According to my mum, we live in troubled times. She reads the Daily Mail, so she should know - and my mum wouldn't lie to me. Prices are high, confidence low and not even the prospect of a royal wedding can ease our national anxiety.

It's obvious, I know, but what we, as consumers, look for in difficult times are symbols of hope and trust. Trust is an interesting one, as it's the very reason why brands exist.

I saw some wonderful research from the US last year explaining that if the word 'trust' is in a brand's endline, that brand's trust scores increase significantly. Who'd have thought it was that easy? Just tell people what you want them to believe and, if it's something positive and vaguely relevant, they may just believe it.

I've worked with several agencies that have rejected the idea of endlines being important or relevant, arguing that it's better for the recipient of the communication to 'self-complete'. Hmm, a bit of a rubbish argument if you ask me, and a desperate attempt to be a bit 'dangerous and different', often for the sake of their ego rather than the benefit of the client.

Which brings me to the NatWest 'Helpful banking' campaign. I hadn't paid much attention to this until one of my clients said it was really working for the bank and winning it a lot of attention - and, I assume, customers.

Delving into it, I like the idea of it (re)committing to be a better bank, the message plainly delivered through a series of numbered customer commitments. There's a gentle sense of atonement going on: 'We've been a bit naughty, we're really sorry, we'll try harder. Honest.'

Then there's the 'Helpful banking' endline, which is one of those gloriously generous lines that legitimises communication about almost any aspect of the bank's service. It also tells me that it wants to be helpful to me, at a time when many of us remain deeply suspicious of any type of banking institution. The brand's behaviour is reassuring and it's all clear and easy to comprehend, which is a relief in the always-complicated world of finance.

I question only whether the creative approach is as fresh and original as it could be. I've always felt that including the client or staff in communication is a bit of a creative last resort and it seems nearly every bank is trying to convince through their nice people. Also, this obsession with shooting things 'for real', allowing viewers to peek behind the production curtain, seems a bit overdone now. A stripped-down and no-nonsense approach could work well, but it just feels a bit too quiet and conventional for me.

But what do I know? I should ask my mum and see what the Mail says about it. They won't lie to me.