When you have a functional message for a bank product, cut through and attention are challenges. There is no banking product ad that looks like the one by WPP AUNZ’s Bankwest agency, Union, for Bankwest Halo Payment Ring and Credit Card products. And the simple animated stories are entertaining to watch.

Ewan Mitchell, team leader at Union said the creative challenge was to highlight the benefits of Bankwest’s products in a simple and compelling way, so the decision was made by the creative team to make characters and animation the focus of the new direction. “We needed to ensure the creative balanced factual content with a sense of fun and simplicity – animation was the obvious choice to help us tell Bankwest’s story in an uncomplicated and convincing way.  We have brought a whole new visual style and a new TOV designed to be simple and fun and stand out from the crowd, whilst bringing clarity of the benefits of the key products to life.”

The two campaigns are Union’s first for Bankwest since the business was won in a competitive pitch last year. They’re aimed at the 18-45 market, differentiate Bankwest from the crowd and revive the fun tone and style for which Bankwest was traditionally recognised.

The 30-second TVC for Halo Payment Ring and 3 x 15-second TVCs for Credit Cards are supported by digital display, OOH (animation and static) and social. Both campaigns will run for several weeks across all channels initially.

https://youtu.be/-_LnAkZlnEU

https://youtu.be/VK1HcmM9pl4

https://youtu.be/0M6D75j0ZqY

Andrew Chanmugam, executive general manager, Bankwest Customer Experience, added, “Bankwest is adopting new ways of working and embracing emerging technologies so we can respond rapidly to changing customer needs in this digital age, so it’s exciting to refocus the brand, revisit our creative roots and deliver great products and services our customers are telling us they want.”

Credits:

Agency: Union

Chief Creative Officer: Paul Nagy

Executive Creative Directors: Derek Green  & Rob Martin Murphy

Associate Creative Director: Andrew Hankin

Senior Creative Director: Andy Cooke

Senior Art Director: Paris Giannakis

Copywriter: Chris Johnson

Producers: Samantha Daley & Lauren Billingham

Client Services Director: Ewan Mitchell

Project Director: Jo Gibb

Project Manager: Rebecca Grapiglia

Animation Production House: Buck

Director: Buck

Creative Director:  Gareth O’Brien

Executive Producer: Erica Ford

Associate Creative Director: Lucas Brooking

Art Director: Luke Saunders

Producer: Jordan Howes

CG Leads: Michael Lampe & Elijah Akouri

Production: Hogarth & The Brand Agency

Media: Ikon Communications