Ex CommBank marketing chief Graham Ford: Goodby’s ad campaign ought to be yanked
March 22 2010, 2:35 pm | | 57 Comments
Graham Ford, the former marketing director of the Commonwealth Bank has written a stinging attack on the bank’s marketing in the Media section of today’s Australian, calling for US agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners to be fired.
Says Ford: “I feel the work is shallow; the thinking and execution of it is lazy and most damningly, it is not based on, or executed to, a campaignable idea. When I was discussing this with a fellow marketer recently, she said her problem with the ads was that she was just waiting for the senior fictional CBA marketer portrayed in the ads to wise up and fire the US agency for serial incompetency. I had to admit I had the same idea for the non-fictional one.”
57 Comments
amen!
Do you think the fact he’s the ‘former’ marketing manager might have something to do with his bitterness?
I’m sure he knows more about the world than any ad guy.
The guy is wrong.
Australian banks are hands down the worst in the western world. Their fees are incredibly high, the service non existent and their technology at least 7-8 years behind banks in Europe and America.
The Comm Bank ads are very good because they focus on the lack of service and common sense in Australian Banks from the perspective of the customer.
For me, they made me seriously consider changing banks for the first time ever.
I’ve always thought it was a conveniently campaignable scenario, rather than an persuasive brand idea.
Mind you, it’s arguably more cohesive and consistent that what other banks are doing.
‘former’ employee or not, are you really prepared to put forward a solid defense for this campaign?
It’s misguided and poorly executed…
MInd you again, that’s no excuse.
I can’t even remember the last campaign. From my perspective, it makes complete sense why the bank went to goodby. (And let’s be completely honest here.) we all know that there is not an agency in the country that would actually pitch something bold that they believe would work. ‘all’ Australian agencies would pitch the work that all the sensible people in the agency think would win them the business. So much of this business pisses me off because as a creative person I see the business people within every ad agency (I’ve only ever worked for the best) take the money and run. They don’t give a shit about the real audience, just the audience in the pitch room. ‘NO’ client deserves that. Yet we do it time and time again. Worse still, when they win the account and they’ve hired 30 or 40 new people to work on it they become even less likely to have an honest conversation. it’s like taking out one gigantic mortgage. They employ a lovely account person to head it up, she listens and nods politely and says very little. She’s very good at the politics and terrible at holding open, honest conversations. But that’s why management has her there. Overheads baby! Let’s make some big freak’n money.
Look, no doubt it’s a polarizing campaign. I’m personally not a big fan of the creative work but I’m telling you, to my suprise the man on the street is. It makes the bank more likeable. Obviously their strategy. But now I think we get how determined to be different they have been. I want to actually see them actually be different. Of all the banks, they seem to have the least product innovations (and that’s the bank’s fault). It’s time to show not tell.
Do I think Goodby should be fired? He’ll no. I think the markeying team need to just take it up a notch now.
More importantly I think marketers that have never really considered their audience in the past should leave their opinions at the table with their other marketing pals. I think it’s over intellectualised drivel coming from very over intellectul (talentless) marketers that leave everything up to research.
No kudos to you Mr. Ford. An American agency on one of australia’s biggest accounts is an easy target in my book.
Who cares what Graham Ford thinks about anything?
His game changing agency of the future -360 – was a total failure.
Whether you like the ads or not, CommBank is doing a lot better under the post-Graham Ford marketing regime.
And most anon bloggers (and maybe even Zooky) would say yes to a job at BMF or Goodby.
No the ads are bad because they are misleading about how Commonwealth bank operates. Their customer service blows and making an ad about how they care about it just pisses their customers off more.
3.28 – you are an idiot.
Australian banks are the worst in the Western world?
Where were you during the GFC when huge banks all around the world went to the wall or had to be bailed out?
Yes, they benefited from Peter Costello’s legislation that meant our banks lending practices had to be more cautious than those failed international banks, but at the end of the day our banks came out smelling of roses – strong, well financed, with comparatively low bad debts.
The commonwealth bank might be lousy at advertising, but they’re pretty good at banking. Their problem seems to be that they did what we always want clients to do – trusted the ad agency.
Boy, were they let down.
Commenting as a kiwi, I thought the slagging the campaign received when it first broke was a knee jerk reaction to the ‘un-australianess’ of taking such a big account offshore.
The campaign has had some ok moments although the familiar set-up of the wacky incompetent ad guys being overruled by the straight talking bank people is getting a bit tired. The latest execution of the ad guy giving the school kids money lessons is actually quite funny.
And do the opinions of the marketing guy who was responsible for the blandness that the last agency produced count for much? Not for me they don’t.
5:18
“Where were you during the GFC when huge banks all around the world went to the wall or had to be bailed out?”
What does that have to do with everything?
Im talking from the perspective of the customer – not as the owner of a bank.
Banks here over charge. As a matter of fact, they charge for everything. Thats why they are so rich and successful.
They have lousy service.
I moved here in 1999, by which point I had used Internet banking for 4 years back home in Europe. Here, my bank introduced it in 2003.
But most importantly for this thread – these ads are good. By far the best bank ads in Australia. They are highly entertaining and memorable.
Ford’s is right. The work is not good.
There’s only campaign that will ever be remembered for the bank.
And no I didn’t create it.
I dislike the campaign because it shits on the industry I work in. Like we really need more bad press…. and the fact that the biggest bank in the country told us we weren’t up to the job and went overseas. And yeah I bet the client has plenty of star-fucking people who wanted an excuse to travel business class on our loan fees..
But if I’m honest – it’s probably been more effective than the other banks stuff. Hell, they’re all fucking us sideways no matter what they say. That said, I won’t shed a tear when the Goodby thing all ends in tears.
Watto
Sorry Graham Ford, you may be bitter. You may have grand ideas about what the Commonwealth bank should be and how it should be marketed. Your comments may be sound. Your agencies may get recognition from Ernst & Young and seem great on paper. But they don’t work. 360 failed, probably because it relied on one client, that you in all your wisdom couldn’t keep. The very same client that is now doing better, on paper and in the real world.
What other bank campaign has been talked about so much in recent years? This campaign, love it or hate it is still being talked about and that is exactly what Goodby does so well – puts brands into the culture. They put them on peoples consideration list. In a category like banking i’d call that a job well done.
It is fun, light hearted and gets the info across in an entertaining way.
I’m not sure what you’re up to at the moment Mate, but maybe grab a pen, have another look at the campaign and start taking notes.
A Commonwealth Bank customer.
The work is absolutely appalling, and worse so given the expectation of something fabulous.
Great, they took a different path. But for god’s sake, still be clever about making a brand’s distinctiveness mean something to consumers and be credible to what people know of or experience in relation to the brand.
Oh my God, 7.00, you are dead set loon.
“From the perspective of the customer”, the first thing people want is to be sure their money is safe.
That was why thousands of people deserted the smaller banks and other savings institutions during the GFC.
And that’s highly relevant. You said our banks were the worst in the Western world. All four of our big banks are now ranked in the top ten worldwide.
Doesn’t that tell you something?
SUre, it’s always open season on banks. But our banks are not overly expensive on a world level.
We should be grateful that they continue to trade well and make a profit. The alternative is not pleasant.
I’m shocked that anyone anywhere would defend this derivative, uninformative, uncreative and downright dumb campaign.
It’s money for jam for the agency though.
Spend ten minutes thinking of something really, really stupid, then have a blank faced client say “Why don’t we just tell them we have low fees” or some other similar bland rubbish, then send a big bill.
We can only hope the bank looks after out money better than it does its own.
I would never ever bank with commonwealth after watching these ads – it just makes me think about how many fees they will charge me to offset the 1 million platypus money boxes their moronic ad agency made. if the bank can’t manage their marketing budget or hire a decent ad agency how could they possibly be trusted with my cashola? eh.
I also hate these ads, I cringe with each viewing, unfortunately my non ad industry friends love them. They laugh and remember them fondly… none of them bank with the big C or believe their shit about a service promise, but they apparently hate it a tiny little bit less now
With most financial institutions that’s a pretty successful campaign even if the ad industry is cringing the whole time
I have to agree with 4.25. Bmf which is supposed to be one of the most creative agencies in oz isn’t doing anything. What would any other Australian agency do? Yep, take the money and run. I also agree that goodby need to take it up a notch now and the bank definitely need to start showing us what exactly it is that they are doing differently. we as an industry do need to take a long hard look at how we do business here. Bmf included.
It is also interesting to note that since commbank did buy bankwest they’ve disappeared. Coincidence?
Um, didn’t around 220 odd posts on this very blog mutually agree these ads were garbage!
This is very old news people – wakeup.
We all pretty much agreed it was crap in record numbers on two seperate threads here, during launch and then when we saw the follow-up ads.
We also all agreed that ‘Detirmined to be different’s’ launch timing was a joke when in the same month CBA raised their interest rates in unison with every other bank undermining their whole position of being different.
Now the ex-marketing dude has watched the campaign play out – lo and behold agrees.
And now we’re bagging Mr Ford for agreeing with what we were all saying right along?
Go easy on him, he’s just playing catch up.
There is one Australian Bank that once did very good advertising.
Yes, it was a loooong time ago, but it was consistent and it worked and it had a great line that everyone remembered.
Which Bank?
Oddly enough, the same bank we’re talking about here.
#fail
The current Commonwealth Bank campaign is so cringeworthy, with no creative merit whatsoever, that I would not bank with Commonwealth just on principle. Sack the agency and come up with a decent campaign I say.
Since the Bankwest campaign (remember that Commonwealth own the Bankwest Brand now) have been do incredibly successful so why don’t they go to Host with the Commonwealth brand as well?
ANZ have had award winning quality work being created for them for years, and I think that reflects in brand perception, being trusted more than any of the big banks in Australia.
Then again, do Westpac or NAB really have a campaign at all anymore? The recent Westpac ad trying to humanise bank managers seemed a bit staged, and I can only remember the “climb every mountain” ad for NAB because it got played so much during the AFL.
This sector needs a bit of a shakeup really!!
Is that a koala driving a car?
Anz’s ‘mortgage’ ad was funny. The rest of the anz stuff has been fairly ordinary. Kind of feel that anz and commbank’s humour is pretty much verbatim. Anz started it but commbank now own it. The new anz credit card protection ad feels like a poor man’s commbank. if anything I kind of feel that anz need to do something more drastic.
Which Bank? Memorable even decades after it stopped (well done Saatchi’s!).
This recent stuff is pure shite done by a septic that needs a haircut and should start acting his bloody age (about 75 by the looks of him!).
It’s irreverant, offers me as a consumer no benefits, in fact, I can’t even remember what the ads are about, I flick the channel when they come on.
Come on guys (and gals), we can do better than this without having to use a septic service.
Oops, it seems a little angry here right now…I’ll come back later.
They owe you…
The CBA make billion dollar profits from a closed market system
You can’t buy a homeloan from the US but they can take one of
the biggest accounts thanks to you, to the US
If the CBA want customers to like them – start here
Hire the best talent to invent new products and services
get the best ad agency here to sell them, showcase
the talent that you have invested in and you have a
thriving culture. Don’t do it and your customers will
go O/S as soon as they can.
Home Loan customers go overseas?
Yeah, that’ll happen.
A little while back thousands of Australians got loans from overseas at low interest rates. Then our dollar plunged. And they were left owing much, much more money than they borrowed. With much bigger repayments.
The fact is, money is expensive right now. And it’s being made more expensive because governments (including our own) are competing strongly for it (in other words, spending like crazy people).
Our banks have to borrow most of the money they lend to us from overseas in that highly competitive market. (These days, Australians don’t save enough to provide money to lend, and most of what we do save goes into super funds.)
That’s why interest rates are higher than the Reserve bank rate.
As for fees and charges, that’s part of keeping interest rates lower. Once, before we had open competition, banks had almost no fees, but just worked on bigger margins in the interest they charged. When international competitors came into the market, they cherry picked audiences (like business customers) and were able to charge lower interest rates because they didn’t offer any wider services. To compete, our banks had to lower their rates and find the money from other places.
So you got user pays in other ares, in exchange for lower interest on personal, business and home loan rates.
It’s all simple business, and our banks don’t operate on bigger margins than anyone else. Fortunately, unlike so many of their big international competitors,our banks have managed to stay solvent and sane throughout a period of huge business stupidity.
We should be thankful that our banks are tight bastards and not idiots.
Yo, 10.36, irreverent or irrelevant?
I think the truth of the matter is that the bank doesn’t want to produce innovative products. It’s easier to just have an agency in the U.S. Spin bullshit rather than truth. Make ads that make people laugh and everything is ok. Sad really.
4.25 from yesterday…you made me laugh
It’s funny reading a creative person slagging off a suit saying …..
“They don’t give a shit about the real audience, just the audience in the pitch room”
…because the only audience that pretty much every creative cares about is a bunch of middle aged overweight art directors sitting in a darkened room judging ads on jury duty.
please…no more moral high ground.
3.47 Irreverent, irrelevant, irreverent or irrelevant and just pure SHITE. Shit I wish there was a spell check on this site. Nah, not really, there would be less to blog about!
I am just so pleased to see so many people loathing these SHITEHOLE ads.
Nick… You’re referring to the terrible creatives. The really good ones that do the best actually do care pal. You must be working at the wrong agency. Or one that’s full of English people.
The work isn’t great – but it’s a whole lot better than the research/committee driven shit that was produced under the previous marketing director.
Oddly enough, we’re moving our agency’s banking business to CBA on the basis that they had the best service/product combination for us. Their advertising NEVER came in to our decision making.
Loved the Platibank execution. Laughed out loud at the “Shebangabang” gag. The Com Banks NPS scored improved dramatically after the campaign first came out. We’re all still debating the campaign…. Come on folks, all of the above is a whole lot more than any other banking campaign over here has achieved in the 7 years I’ve been here. The GM of one of the other big 4 banks even admitted to me that he’d had a chuckle (of appreciation) at the ads. That said, it might be time for something different… Perhaps the fictional agency the ads portray should finally get fired….
This is for those xenophobes who seem to think the Commonwealth Bank has a moral responsibility to use Australian ad agencies. And that the so-called septic-tank-yanks should keep their hands off our brands like they’re guilty of some sort of scab labour. All I can say is this. Calm down, comrades! Allow me to pick at that scab.
There’s an obvious question here. What mind-blowing work are OUR agencies producing for banks lately? ANZ’s We live in your world? ANZ’s Barbara?? BOQ’s Owner/Managers??? C’mon, let’s be real. Any locally made CBA ads would’ve come out just as compromised AND would’ve been just as crucified as any of these.
Goodby AT LEAST crafted some memorable campaign characters here. Those whiney American guys make these ads. Hey, come to think of it, they really DO make these ads. (Holds nose for nasally effect: “Don’t get a girlfriend. Alright? They’re just gonna want you to spend your money… on stuff. You don’t need it.”) No argument there.
The most endearing part is the fictitious agency team and their almost Aspergers-like lack of awareness. This is entertaining because it’s based on such a truth about the average American’s world view. The problem’s in the punchline. It all starts heading south when you get to the poker-faced marketing team and their clumsy payoff. It’s why each ad seems to end in such a flat, cringey kind of way. (Typical – they can be real fun-killers those Aussie clients.)
To be fair, these are the best of a really bad bunch in an already ugly category. Is there any honesty in the Commonwealth’s claims? Who cares? As far as the whole banking sector goes, THAT ship sailed a long time ago. To Shebangabang, I believe.
It’s just stupid, patronising crap.
Which Bank?
An IDEA.
A CAMPAIGNABLE IDEA.
Oh God I’ve just seen the yank in th school ad again.
It really is just crap.
Sorry..
Seven Helicopters I admire the fact you’re trying to find a way to support these ads.
But unfortunately putting forward an argument that “All ads in the Financial Services category are crap, so these are good,” doesn’t quite cut it.
The category being mediocre doesn’t make these good. It just makes them less crap than other crap.
But still crap. Just…less crap than really big crap.
But will agree with you on the BOQ ads. And has anyone seen the Bendigo Bank ad with all the foam letters? At one point it looks like they are spelling the word C–T. I guess that’s one way to make an ad stand out!
I don’t work in the industry but…..
It seems to me advertising is a means to an end – and that end is for people to think about and then hopefully use a particular good or service. If your ad can make people discuss the product, whether good or bad, half the battle is won – you’re well on your way to successful brand recognition.
I did Award school a few years back and pretty much all it taught me was that:
a) Advertising is very subjective, and
b) There are a lot of wankers in the industry.
From this I conclude that, yes whilst there are particular techinques and methods used to generate good advertising ideas and to create campaigns etc… essentially there is no right or wrong. If the ad creates discussion and makes people think about the product, then the ad is good!
I think a lot of people are missing the point – these Commonwealth bank ads are not made to be critically acclaimed by industry insiders – they are made for the everyday man, the wider population who have no concerns about the creative merits of the ad – the ads make them laugh, make them remember the product and as such, I’d have to say they are successful.
I’m sure someone will come along and shoot me down, but hey that’s my opnion and it seems other here share it……
Where the hell is the Commonwealth Bank of Austria anyway?
12:06… I hear what you’re saying: How far the bar has been lowered in this category SHOULDN’T be a measure of other work’s quality. Trust me, it wasn’t all that easy trying to see the good in the Goodby ads either, but I stand by what I say about the funny, clueless American characters. (Nasally creative with the moustache: “You l-iiiii-ke?”)
Moving right along though, you’ve raised a much juicier matter, so let’s go to Bendigo!
I’m glad other people see it, too: The C-U-Next-Tuesday element in the foam letters which eventually spell out the word C O M M U N I T Y. I thought it was just my own troubled mind; but I’ve always wondered why all the focus on these four letters and the odd way they’re arranged towards the end.
Was this an intentional in-joke that somehow went through to the keeper? Is it subliminal in a DRINK COKE kind of way? Did the director have something on their mind that day? Is it a message from Above? Or Below? I don’t know. I’d love an insider (no pun intended) to anonymously confirm it on this blog, but I know that’ll never happen.
In the meantime, all I can see when I watch the ad are those four particular letters methodically making their way towards each other.
I agree with 8:57
It all comes down to economics in my view. If it can be proven that an ad has generated dollars or amassed market share then has it not achieved its purpose?
I worked in advertising for many years; now I am a client and my interests lie in profit margins. Originality, in my view, is a risk. I know it’s fun to have a great idea and fight for it, and if and when it gets up it can be really fantastic. But the world economy is not driven by fun its driven by transactions.
Long ago I realised if i wanted to push for a really cool idea I should have got a job in the movies, instead of trying to squeeze crazy original ideas into some product that runs against the client’s wishes.
Ah, that’s New Zealand.
Call it what you like! 😉
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-basketbawl!
Work with me on this. In the very first ad, when the American agency presents their big marsupial Mad Max II extravaganza, does anyone else think the director, Michael Bay, looks like Fonzie?
Lynchy, time to shut this thread down…the ads are SHITE, agreed.
What everybody is missing is Australia isn’t the centre of the world.
It’s not even the centre of Asia Pacific.
So when an American agency get’s a small (by their standards) Australian account, they don’t really give a fuck. Let’s give them what they want, bash it out, template idea we’ve seen before, not much strategic insight yadda yadda hum down the line get me a Manhattan and give me a Yellow Taxi to 51st st.
If an Aussie agency had this, they’d do their best to get results, because lets face it, it’s not an award winning category and it props up the other 20-odd accounts in the agency.
We all know agencies that aim to kiss clients arses don’t get results, and we all know that agencies who don’t listen to clients don’t get results either.
Who wins?
Not sure, haven’t seen the stats.
Where would this industry be without the wit, the insight, and the thought provoking commentary of people like 4:50?
Dear 8.45, thankyou, I think I’ve still got it! Cheers, 4.50
Just saw a Commonwealth bank print ad in one of the weekend paper’s magazines. It talks about ‘concierges’ in banks.
That term is not even relevant in Australia. Do the clients even read the copy?
BTW, I have just moved my (unfortunately) substantial homeloan from Commonwealth, so if you think that this stuff, as well as the poor service, does not affect profits, you’re wrong.
Wow, I’ve just come back from Uranus and read this thread…March 22 10:40 believes the bank actually made 1 million platypus money boxes. Oh dear.
Vic, it’s a fictional ad agency.
It’s a worry when even ad folk can’t differentiate between reality and make-believe.
Seven Helicopters you are a funny bastard. I’ll pay that.
Cheers!
Years later I am scouting down every rabbit hole website trying to find CBA’s girlfriends spend your money add to show my 12 year old son! It was hilarious and memorable…
Yet all I can find is this winging whining thread dissing an add I fondly remember all these years later.
I don’t bank CBA never liked them, but my older kids do because of that hilarious add, (and I’m a pretty steady fast feminist but that ad by-the-by rings pretty true for most of us when hearts are a flutter!). One has a mortgage, the other a business loan and mortgage. Now my youngest child is ready for his first eftpos card snd I’m happy for him to start with CBA SOLEY because of that Ad. How, therefore can it be that bad??