Sucheta Dalal :Axis Bank: What a bore!
Sucheta Dalal

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Axis Bank: What a bore!   

May 28, 2010

 The new campaign from the bank is guaranteed to put you to sleep

Realising that customer-dedication and relationship-building (remember that ICICI Bank ad where a staffer entertains an aunty till the wee hours of the morn?) have been done to death in the banking world, Axis Bank has tried to offer something new in their communication. Their promise? 'Solutions Provider'.
 
Hmm. Now, in principle, one has to agree a bank advertising itself at this time has to say something fresh in order to stand out from the 'relationships' clutter. Granted that.

But the solution found by the Axis guys is so broad-based and boring, it puts you to sleep. Problem/solution is too generic a promise, and any organisation can offer that-from a giant steel company to a retail outlet to a cobbler on the street. So that marketing platform is too dull and uninviting. Also, it's nebulous. Will the Axis guys help me out when I have a car accident outside their branch? Will they help me find a boy friend? No, I am not joking… this sort of a claim is much too vague.
 
The other problem is an equally dull and trite execution of the already silly promise. Two commercials are on air. In one, two army jawans are seen goofing around at the Nathula Pass. With no war on, they are busy yakking with each other on whether a yak, that's passing by, would turn its head to look at them. The wager: One hundred bucks. When the chap who loses the bet claims he has no money, the ATM promise gets flashed. Ho-hum stuff.

Reminds me of the Maruti Gypsy Service 'Kancha' ad. Done to death. The other commercial is only marginally more interesting. An elderly couple in a bus is seen having a go at a youngish man who's occupied a seat reserved for senior citizens. The poor chap does everything to prove his elderly status but to no avail. Finally, he flashes out an Axis Bank card to prove his age! Wow! Hasn't he heard of mundane things called driving license, voter ID card, ration card, etc? In fact, those documents are officially recognised as evidence of age. Promising start to the commercial, which ends on a whimper.
 
So, poor strategy, uninspired creative. All that can go wrong with advertising. Moral of the story: If you just can't think of something interestingly new to say to your audiences, then you have to come up with sizzling creative ideas of an existing concept in order to stand out. The oldest lesson in the ad world, often forgotten by the right-brain challenged suits.
 
Anyway, not all is lost. The Axis boys can re-visit the drawing board and come up with something different. There's always a solution, right? :) —
Anil Thakraney

 


-- Sucheta Dalal