TBWA has been cranking out the work for ANZ since ‘The Announcement’ of the new—and, if you believe the ads, improved—bank. And, with plenty at stake, it’s no surprise that no expense has been spared and the doctor has been well and truly gone for. And now it has moved into the final phase of the campaign to show what products and services it can now offer its customers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQscqINQEo
The campaign, which also involved SparkPHD on media, kicked off with a farewell to the much-loved National Bank brand before moving into the union of the two brands with the ‘Power of Two’ message. And now the focus is on ‘More’, with one of the largest ever outdoor campaigns undertaken in the banking category, including high profile billboard sites, bus wraps, bus backs and Adshels in main centres, as well as a 30 second TVC that once again features the dreamboat soothsayer known in The Mentalist as Patrick Jane, which sets out what customers can now expect from the new ANZ: more expertise, more people in more places, more convenience and more smart ways to bank (although what exactly the woman on the beach wants more of is unclear).
There is also plenty of regional press and retail advertising throughout the country (we were also quite partial to its ‘Don’t get Stung print and outdoor campaign, which featured a selection of fictional financial insects like bankus feeus). 
“Communicating the brand change and launch of the new ANZ has been a massive undertaking. We’re playing a long game but so far things are going really well,” says Matthew Pickering, head of retail marketing for ANZ in a release (we’re hoping to speak with someone from the ANZ team to get a few more details). “Initially we needed to reassure customers that the great service and the people they deal with would remain the same. Now we’ve come together we can do more for all of our customers. We’ve got more people in more communities throughout the country than any other bank. The ‘More’ campaign is the start of telling this story.”
David Walden, WhybinTBWA chief executive, says bringing the new ANZ to life—something he and ECD Andy Blood started planning for around 12 months ago—has been a fantastically challenging and exciting project.
“It’s not often you’re able to participate in a project of this scale in New Zealand,” he says. “It’s been demanding but incredibly satisfying and we are really proud of the way in which the campaign has rolled out. As an agency group we are thrilled to be able to continue to use our extensive expertise and knowledge in the financial sector for our client ANZ.”
Walden wasn’t too keen to comment on the specifics of how the campaign has gone so far from the bank’s perspective, but it’s fair to say—both as an ex-National Bank customer and someone who opines about the marketing trade—that ANZ and TBWA have done a good job of assuaging fears and promoting the benefits of the merger.
“There was a real danger that if we tried to do this and we didn’t do it well, it could come back to bite us on the ass,” Walden says. But due to what he says is a “less cavalier attitude” to money at present, with more repaying of debt rather than accumulation of debt, combined with a campaign that reassured customers the sky wasn’t falling, showcased the fact that joining the products and services of the National Bank with the scale of the ANZ was beneficial and is now focusing on the ways it can do more for its customers, he believes the transition has gone better than expected.
‘More’ TVC Credits
Chairman of the WHYBINTBWA Group and Creative Director: Scott Whybin
Executive Creative Director: Andy Blood
Production Company: Film Graphics
Director: David Denneen
Producer: Margot Ger (WHYBINTBWA Melbourne)
Creative Group Heads: Chris Childerhouse, Carl Lough
Digital CD: Ross Howard
Group Head: Jodi Willocks
Account Directors: Frith Morrissey, Rebecca Verhulst
Senior Account Managers: Victoria Meo, Amanda Green
ANZ – Client Credits
Head of Marketing: Mike Cunnington
Head of Retail Marketing: Matthew Pickering
Senior Marketing Manager: Erin Dudding
