Boring is why we go on holidays, try difficult skateboards stunts and eat service station sushi. It’s why start-ups and early retirements happen. But when it comes to a bank, boring is good.
America’s PNC Bank proudly announces that it is boring. Because, as Havas agency, Arnold, notes in its first campaign since becoming agency of record for the bank in June last year, banks should be boring.
The nearly 160-year-old brand is not only embracing this philosophy, it’s making it the hero by redefining boring as brilliant.
The US campaign, Brilliantly Boring since 1865, acknowledges a core brand truth – PNC Bank keeps things boring, and that’s a good thing – especially when it comes to managing money responsibly. As the world continues to be defined by instability, boring’s defining attributes, like stability, pragmatism, consistency, and trustworthiness, have never been more valuable. While big banking can feel impersonal to many, PNC Bank is answering to an untapped, powerful consumer aspiration, the desire for simplicity and stability in a changing world.
The campaign leads with a 60-second anthem TV spot, Boring is Essential, that brings the bank’s philosophy to life: To be brilliantly boring with your money so you can be happily fulfilled with your life.
Actor Chris Diamantopoulos, best known for his roles in Silicon Valley, The Three Stooges, and the voice of Mickey Mouse, stars in the ad, showing how boring enables brilliant outcomes. The spot is disarmingly and charmingly self-aware, blending high IQ with EQ, sharing PNC’s financial wisdom with a humble sensibility. The spot ends with the new tagline, Brilliantly Boring since 1865.
The full national campaign covers TV, online video, digital, social, audio, OOH, print, branch merchandise, sponsorship and experiential activations that will roll out over the course of the year. Havas Media, part of the Havas Village, handled the brand media strategy, planning and buying.
“We are thrilled to unveil our first work for PNC Bank at such a pivotal moment in the organisation’s growth as a national leader,” stated George Sargent, CEO of Arnold. “Arnold is at its best when we are partnering with ambitious clients who want to transcend category expectations – and we believe the brand platform we have created in partnership with the team at PNC does that in spades. The opportunity for ‘Brilliantly Boring’ to serve as both a highly focused value creation engine across audiences and, equally, as a growth driver across PNC’s businesses is infinite.”
Credits:
Client: PNC Bank
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Chief Creative Officer: Sean McBride
Chief Client Officer: Val Bettini
Executive Creative Director: James Bray
SVP, Group Creative Directors: Sam Mullins, Justin Galvin, Joe Fallon
Copywriter: Pat Franklin
VP, Executive Producer: Whitney Bogosian
Producer: Michela Del Po
Marketing: Sarah Taylor, Casey Maguire
Project Manager: Kerry Lowe
Business Affairs Manager: Elyssa Ahern
Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Tim Godsell
Line Producer: Brady Vant Hull
DoP: Bryan Newman
Editing: Arcade
Editor: Will Hasell
Assistant Editor: Drew Lang
Finishing & VFX: Electric Theatre Collective
Colour: Luke Morrison
Record & Mix: Soundtrack Boston
Sound Design: Mike Secher
Music: Mophonics
