Much anticipated ‘CommBank Can’ campaign launches today via M&C Saatchi, Sydney
‘Commbank Can.’
That’s the new brand positioning that Australians will wake up to today, with billboards, print and digital sites changing to finally reveal that Commonwealth Bank and their agency, M&C Saatchi were indeed behind ‘CAN’T’, as CB Bloggers have known since Monday.
The new positioning was designed to be simple, fresh and flexible enough to highlight the bank’s numerous products, innovations, customer service and technological advancements.
Andy Lark, Commonwealth Bank Chief marketing and online officer, explains further: “Before embarking on this campaign, we conducted significant research. This research told us that Australia is at a turning point as a nation. As such, there has never been a better time to speak directly to the Australian public about what they can do and the role CommBank can play in making that possible.
“Australians are looking to banks to help them move forward and we will be letting all Australians know that with Commbank, they can. Can is simple, it’s powerful, but most of all, it succinctly sums up what we stand for as Australia’s most technologically advanced financial services institution, with a principal focus on excelling in customer service.”
M&C Saatchi worked alongside the bank to provide a complete repositioning that stretched from typefaces and colour palettes to the decision to be simply known as ‘Commbank’ – a moniker already used by the Australian public.
The campaign’s launch commercial features Australian actress Toni Collette explaining the new positioning in a spot designed to stand out with simplicity and humanity.
(Incidentally, the emotional ‘Ode to Can’ poem was written in only a few hours by M&C Saatchi creative director Andy Flemming.)
Says M&C Saatchi regional creative director Tom McFarlane: “This is more than just another line.It’s an attitude that taps into the zeitgeist.I suspect a little inspiration, a bit of optimism and some leadership might be welcome out there right now.’
The commercial airs on all major networks and can be activated on smartphones from News Limited newspapers by holding them over the bank’s iconic diamond.
Following the launch, directors such as Paul Middleditch and Steve Ayson and, indeed, some of the world’s largest and most exciting companies quickly bring the new positioning to life with creative that highlights the bank’s unique apps and innovations.
Says M&C Saatchi Sydney Executive Creative Director Ben Welsh: “It’s not very often that the work that you present in a pitch gets to make it to air intact, but what you’ll see over the next few weeks is pretty much what we presented in January.”
‘Ode to Can’
Regional Creative Director: Tom McFarlane
Executive Creative Director: Ben Welsh
Writers: Tom McFarlane, Ben Welsh, Paul Dunne
Verse: Andy Flemming
Art Director: Ant Larcombe.
Senior Account Director: Renee Hyde
Head of Television & Content: Rod James
Production Company: Exit Films
Director: Paul Goldman
Producer: Leah Churchill-Brown
Editor: Dave Whittaker (The Editors)
Flame compositor: Stu Cadzow (FSM)
Sound: Song Zu
82 Comments
that is embarassing – good nows what Goodbys must think of Australian advertising ?
First comment as legible as usual. I like it. But then again I can spell.
you CAN have it. One massive step back.
We did it better!!
Ripoff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZxQDAyFY6s
Great, simple and powerful. An idea that taps into the current vibe/mood of the Australian people. On that basis it will resonate without question. M&C are back to form.
‘Can’t’ isn’t a word. It’s two words: Can not. Maybe I’m just being picky. That aside, Is Cambell ‘Can do’ Newman getting royalties for this idea?
It takes balls to pull off something like this. A beautifully written ad.
A single-word positioning for a bank. Can’t get more single-minded than that. It’s got legs galore too. Ignore the detractors, M&C. You’re doing what you’ve always done best: owning a massive emotional property/territory for your brands. One word: excellent!
Big bank, big agency, big idea and I reckon, big cut through
Tony, I think CAN’T was the teaser bit and CAN is the one-word reveal? I agree with its simplicity and campaignability.
This campaign performs more functions than a Swiss Army Knife, only it’s twice as sharp. Great work M&C.
Love the choice of Toni Collette. Notoriously
uncommercial and a great role model.
Curiously intelligent. Like it.
Nothing like yours, Nike. Yours was beautiful execution about the things that individuals can achieve. This is a one-word positioning about how the bank enables progress. Succinct, clever. Very M&C.
Just listened to the words of the poem. Wow. Goosebumps.
Epic idea & execution, this is how it’s done kids
I’m in Direct and I’d love to sink my teeth into this kind of focused prop. More legs than a millipede!!
I always though Toni Collette didn’t do ads.
The Commonwealth bank just dropped their interest rates by quite a large amount – so heres to the bank for actually practicing what they preach. And at the start of a major campaign about doing stuff like that. Cool.
I’m with ANZ who sit on the interest rates for weeks until dropping a paltry point. ‘We live in your world?’ Fuck off ANZ.
On VW we used to get one word props like ‘space’ for the Caravelle and ‘power’ for the VR6. The freedom of a tight brief, as they say. It leads to great work, both for client and agency. CAN will too… Kinda wish I had this brief on my desk. Ah the nostalgia…
Can we hear from people who don’t work at M&C. Seems a little close to “it’s possible” who has Optus anyway?
Let’s face it bank advertising is at least 80% retail. I reckon this has some serious stretch and sets up a simple, positive campaign platform. Clever.
Well, my Mum loves it.
And she’s got nothing to do with it, or advertising.
So for those of you who don’t rate it, you’re just a miserable bunch of advertising can’ts.
… i wonder if Dr Seuss will get any credit?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQRWeZy-S8Q
Pretty sweet rhyme
If you can’t say it straight
And a song makes it worse
You can hide your idea
(Or lack thereof) with verse
Cos a ‘pome’ makes it sexy
Or at least a bit pretty
And makes your mates think
That the writer is witty
This verse took three minutes
To spend more time is crazy
Cos doggerel and verse
Is a prop for the lazy.
Andy Fleming’s poem is great. The pictures are not. Yes Nike did it better pictorially.
about 400 times more interesting than what Wetpatch or ANZZZ are up to.
I seriously doubt
A put-down has klout
With errors like ‘pome’
Bandied about
Of course you can rhyme
Given 3 minutes’ time
But will it be good
Or even sublime?
‘Cause all that I get
From your ‘pome’ is regret
That most of your efforts
The world will forget
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Lazy and predictable. Fluff bank speak that every punter will see through and call B.S.
Fact is, only media and ad people care about the hoopla. Customers just get riled up.
NAB is the only bank that has managed to do anything interesting in the last couple of years.
You’re forgetting ANZ who did some spectacular work before passing their business onto an agency who couldn’t.
Don’t forget that ANZ’s best work was done by the lot that did this.
I’d give it a week or so before licking Clem’s balls too clean..
Simple, big, bold & brilliant!
A reply to Cynic:
Here is a question
(I just have to ask it)
Do you really think we’d put
All eggs in one basket?
A poem’s a poem
(Beautifully read)
But what follows after
Will play with your head.
Lack of idea?
You have to be crazy!
Watch the next four ads
Before you cry ‘lazy’!
If the whole focus of the ad is a poem, shouldn’t the guy who wrote it be given more of a credit that “Verse”? There are three other writers on this, and neither of them wrote it. Can’t be a very nice feeling.
Lets hope it gets better. Kind of flat out of the gate. “Can” is a simple enough idea to have great work off that back, but you have to have your head examined if you think this is “brilliant”.
optus ‘yes’ comm bank ‘can’ …
Stupid ,careless work that they will hang themselves on and ANZ will kill them on the run home because their premise is based on peoples worries and needs and to be seen to try an understand them.Comm will say NO and they WILL say CANT .Their premise is so tenuous and so FRAGILE! Wake up it is the same naive work they did on Barbara for ANZ which told the market 28 seconds of what they were NOT and then a 2 second handshake with a logo.That was junior copy school and so is this one. Good luck to CommBank ,May I suggest a few extra crisis managers be appointed.
A great example of the increasing irrelevance of advertising.
It’s neither good or bad. It is exceptionally boring and totally useless.
Wasting an insane amount of money on a “teaser” campaign is a very tired approach.
If the reveal presented something interesting, relevant or of value it would be slightly less idiotic. Lamely revealing a facile slogan is dull and unrewarding.
That is one of the most inspiring things I’ve had seen.
The poem is just brilliant, as is Toni Collette.
Our Banks often do not get their advertising right,
but this ad is wonderful.
Does it make you want to watch it? Yes
Does is stand out from the other clutter? Yes
Is it different to the other banks? YES
Hard to hate it.
Easy to really like it.
Oh great, another crappy teaser campaign followed by an insanely boring manifesto.
Blackberry and Comm bank seem to have the exact same campaign rollout with the exact same visually boring self importance.
Did the art director have anything to add, or war the entire TV budget used in the casting?
Not that there’s anything wrong with manifestos as ads.
Lee Clow has been doing them for years.
Think Different is a classic example of the manifesto brought to life.
very average. What does Toni Collette really have to do with day to day Australian life? This is chucking a celeb at an average idea.
I saw this twice on TV last night and sat up to try and watch it.
I found it very hard to follow.
The second time it was on my wife said ‘please tell me thats not one of yours’.
I think the positioning is good. The launch ad bloody horrible.
Onwards and upwards.
(Keep working on a Sunday and posting all those comments and you’re sure to create something good off of it.)
I think the funniest thing in all of this is the CBA head of retail products name is Michael Cant …. Hilarious !
Beautiful.
Really good.
Just words and a director not frightened to just let them breathe.
Reminds me of Playstation Double Life.
All it made me do was cringe.
Yeah and surely we can all think beyond the one launch ad here. They’ve nailed a property that has massive scope for future ads – many of them. Really they’re owning an ethos for CBA. It’s not just about the 1st TVC.
As a young female creative working in a typically testosterone-packed creative department, everyday I’m reminded that this is a male dominated industry and it definitely shows in the work out there. If I see another dude spot I’ll vomit.
There’s a femininity to this spot, which makes it so engaging and different to any other bank ad out there.
Great work.
What a waste, the only thing this ad does is show how brilliant the NAB break up campaign was.
CAN still make billions of dollars profit a year by not passing on full interest rate cuts, charging ridiculous atm fees etc etc etc
You can fluff it up all you like. They’re still a bank no different form any other.
This is a confusing spot. The one word positioning is so ambiguous.
Even Obama’s ‘Yes We Can’ was more coherent. Who can? We can. Thanks for letting us know who you were talking to, Obams.
With Commbank’s ‘Can’, it’s hard to work out who can. Can I? Can they? Can everyone, skipping hand in hand in this new banking utopia? All what? If I’m driving past the word ‘Can’ on a billboard with a CBA logo stamped on it, what have I learned?
What’s the offering? If you’re going to try and own a word, pick something that means something. Innovation. Service. Price. But ‘Can’? Geez Louise.
I think you’ll find that CBA have dropped their interest rates dramatically within the last 24 hours.
Read the papers.
Done before by BBH for Johnnie Walker.
http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/johnnie-walker-whisky-cantcan-5797055/
You’ll need to be a member to see the whole thing but it’s kind of obvious from this link it’s the same idea, Johnnie Walker bottle replaces the t in can’t.
Has also been done by British Telecom in the UK, they shattered the t with a hammer, etc, can’t be arsed to find link.
I think I’d like it if I hadn’t seen it before, and would be proud I’d come up with it.
So maybe the lesson is – don’t be aware of what’s been done before. Better not to know.
Blat, reminds you of Playstation Double Life?
How exactly? It’s nothing like it.
This is terrible. The NZ National Bank’s Dr Seuss ad was 10 times better.
Don’t call me a “can’t”!
Beautifully written.
Big, big brand idea.
Ignore the juniors, this is grown up stuff. I’m sure there’ll be another hilarious ‘man with big beard’ ad along soon…
@Chris
Nice and condescending. You must be fun to know.
If this can get past the nation’s cynicism for banks and the bullshit they preach, then my hat goes off to the creators of this campaign. As an ad person the strategy makes complete sense. As a consumer, I simply don’t believe it. It’s another version of Comm Bank’s ‘Make it happen’ campaign that had all the right intentions but fell on deaf ears.
THIS IS THE MOST SICKENING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
“MY GOD!!!!”, you’ve only seen one ad. How can you slam it already as ‘the most sickening campaign of the year’? And in caps! What are you, a 13 year old girl?
Didn’t OBAMA do this…I’m going to call him.
It seems banks are competing with each others advertising as opposed to helping us these days.
Quite revolting actually.
They stole Singapore’s national word.
I agree with Tony Hoad and Doug Watson.
Well done Flemming. We all love it…
The industry response to high profile campaigns like this is predictable, unashamedly low brow on the whole and pretty immature. It reeks of subjective jealousy and resentment.
The intended audience is not the ad industry and the only true measure of its value and success is in $’s. It’s financial marketing, not art or entertainment after all. It has cut through yet it’s broadly appealing which is a tough job. It’s positive and love the way it takes a leadership stance unlike a lot of the competition.
Be interesting to see how it unfolds. Personally I think its going to do a bloody good job of it. Well agency and client.
M&C stop spunking all over your own ad on here… it’s gross (and obvious).
Can’t kern! If you’re going to use Aachen, please take the time to manually kern it.
As Aussie in Singapore said .. “Can” is Singapore’s national word…were the dubs mixed up – is there a better Australian version that should have gone to air or is it rolling out through Asia like this?
It’s good. It’s positive. It’s what we need.
Good on them and well written. Toni Collette. Who’d have thought?
Stands out in it’s quiet elegance.
the poem is brilliant. it made me stop, look up and watch. well done M&C.
Wow, there are more Kiwi’s working over here than I thought. In fact everyone on here must be a kiwi such is the negativity. Aussies can do things. It’s the negative fricking kiwi’s who can’t. And this site is obviously full of them..
The Commonwealth Bank will inevitably have more CANTS than they will CANS and that is why that is why this campaign will inevitably be an embarrassing failure. Bank
internal policies inevitably derail communication objectives and this one is the most vulnerable I have seen.Good Luck.
Definitely has a Dr.Suess feel to the wording.
gotta love m&c they certainly know how to put the cat among the pigeons
goodby-they came they saw they failed to connect with australians
A beautiful commercial.
This campaign is far too worthy to appeal to the Aussie general public.
Vote at work; an overwhelming thumbs down.
How many bloggers has the bank hired today to put a positive spin on trade press?!! Lighting fast work team!
Didn’t M&C Saatchi come up with ‘You Can’ for BT this year (and ten years ago)?
http://www.campaignbrief.com/2012/05/can-a-bt-campaign-line-via-mc.html
Quite a good ad.
Personally, I always look at them as a bunch of Cants.