Ally Irritates Kids (and Bankers) with More Spots
Ally Bank has added two more TV spots to its wildly popular ad campaign that subjects unsuspecting kids to the evil whims of a fictional-yet-no-less-diabolical market researcher. The latest spots add a bit of a twist, where the smarmy corporate jerk steals the scenes instead of the unscripted reactions of children who feel cheated.
The Ally’s campaign, which mocks the tricks, policies and asterisks of rival bankers, has been running since May 2009 when the bank rose from the ashes of GMAC Financial.
In the first of two additional spots, the evil market researcher taunts a little girl with a miniature replica of himself. He tugs the doll’s string, triggering an “interactive voice response” system (a.k.a. IVR to bankers or “phone tree from hell” to consumers).
“Say 1 for broccoli. Say 2 for toys,” the mini-market research doll says.
The little girl, quite naturally, says “toys” instead of “two” as the doll demands.
“The system can’t process your response at this time,” the doll responds. “Please call back between 8 and 5 Central Standard Time… Goodbye.”
Ally Bank – “Automated”
“Even kids know its wrong to give people the run around. At Ally Bank, you never have to deal with an endless automated system. You can talk to a real person 24/7. It’s just the right thing to do.”
In the second spot, a boy collects chocolate, foil-wrapped eggs hidden around the room. The dirty, rotten, sneaky researcher tries to steal and eat each egg as the boy puts them in the basket.
“You took my eggs,” the boy accuses.
“Egg management fee,” the jerk mumbles through a mouth filled with chocolate eggs.
Ally Bank – “Eggs”
“Even kids know it’s wrong to take other people’s stuff. That’s why at Ally Bank, we don’t eat away at your savings with fees.”
“The nice thing about kids is they’re honest. They tell it like it is.”
– Sanjay Gupta, CMO/Ally
Reality Check: Even if it irks you that Ally Bank isn’t entirely forthright about its bailout resurrection, you have to admit Ally’s ads really strike a chord with consumers. Secretly, you’re probably irritated that your bank or credit union didn’t take this approach.
MyBankTracker.com reports that Ally Bank was awarded the top position as the best online bank website. Data also indicates that 86.5% of Ally customers are “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied,” which aligns with MyBankTracker.com’s own data showing customers give the bank a 4.5 star rating.
People love Ally Bank ads, bankers hate them
“You didn’t say I could have a real one.”
“Well you didn’t ask.”
“But it’s a piece of junk…I want the red truck!”
These punchlines to popular Ally Bank commercials are like fingernails on a chalkboard for some bankers.
“It’s irritating for the community banking industry to see someone who has failed in their business dealings now turning around and saying they are so smart,” Paul Merski, chief economist at the Independent Community Bankers of America, told Bloomberg.
“The hypocrisy of Ally Bank’s ad campaign is dramatic given the company’s true history and the exceptional governmental assistance given to its parent company,” added Christopher Nunn, CFO/Security Bancorp of Tennessee.
After enduring hours of Ally ads while holed up during Snowmaggedon, Kevin Lynch, a 20-year banking veteran, had finally had enough. He turned to his blog for catharsis. “I felt it was time to get something off my chest,” he said. “I am really put off by Ally Bank commercials.”
“For those of us out here in the ‘real world’ of financial services, who didn’t get TARP funds, don’t have the luxury of a new start, and struggle with a myriad of confusing regulations, give us a break,” Lynch wrote on his blog. “We really are trying to do the right things for our customers.”
Bankers may have a bone to pick (perhaps even a big- and even legitimate bone), but that means nothing to consumers who can’t seem to get enough of Ally’s campaign.
Take a look at this sampling of comments on Ally TV commercials uploaded to The Financial Brand’s YouTube account:
- “These ads are really clever. Nice work by Ally.” – alexbulluk
- “This series of ads are masterpiece!! They create a buzz, and that’s what it’s all about.” – joe1977poland
- “I can’t make up my mind which I like better.” – tunenut122
- “I love these commercials…the kids, their faces and the jerk.” – leashlee
- “I run to the TV set every time these commercials play.” – charrua007
- “This commercial never gets old.” – Ac3bo0gie914
The praise keeps pouring in. “Pure gold.” “Precious.” “Priceless.”
“The shifty executive on the Ally Bank commercials is awesome,” wrote Robert Coffman on Twitter. “Whoever thought him up has struck advertising gold.”
Ally’s previous four TV spots have been viewed nearly one million times on YouTube. It’s quite an impressive accomplishment when you remember that people don’t often hop online specifically to watch TV commercials.
The Ally Bank ads are the work of Bartle Bogle Hegarty’s New York office.
This article © 2012 by The Financial Brand and may not be reproduced.
Related Articles From The Financial Brand:
- No More ‘Love’ for Ally Bank as They Search for the Right Ad Message
- If Advertising Doesn’t Work, Then Why Is ‘Ally’ a Household Word?
- ANZ Promises It Isn’t Rude and Cranky
- Bank Bashing Ads Tell People What They Don’t Get
A colleague in the banking industry recently reminded me that Ally’s ads are indicative of their roots in the auto industry and how that industry generally thinks about competition. He’s right in many respects. Auto dealerships in communities large and small are notorious for ridiculous ads and sleazy gimmicks in order to tear down their competition and compete for the consumer’s attention. Look at most of their ads! Look how GM tried to take advantage of Toyota’s woes.
So Ally has simply brought that sensibility to its competition in the financial services industry…and it’s making bankers cranky. The industry is used to attack from credit unions, but not other banks. At a time when many bankers are trying to join together and rebuild consumer perceptions about the industry, Ally comes along shining a spotlight on the very things that consumers find most annoying about their financial institutions. The ads are brilliant and very effective at taping into consumer anger. While they made be supporting Ally’s growth, they are chipping away at the consumer’s image of the industry overall. I wonder if Ally stopped to consider that possibility. In any case, it has certainly shifted the dynamic in financial services advertising. Any guess on whether we’ll see other banks follow this style of advertising?
This quote really nails it in my estimation.
“The hypocrisy of Ally Bank’s ad campaign is dramatic given the company’s true history and the exceptional governmental assistance given to its parent company,” added Christopher Nunn, CFO/Security Bancorp of Tennessee.
I would go further however. The hypocrisy is staggering when one considering that this “new” bank is building it’s brand on the concepts of honesty and transparency while it is in fact a zombie bank created with tax money (which, of course it fails to disclose).
And where are the regulators? If credit unions take a shot at banks in there advertising the hue and cry from the regulatorsis tremendous. Ally slags the whole industry and ????
But the ads are cool though.
Regulators should have no issue with these ads. Any financial institution (bank or credit union) can take shots at “banks” in general or “credit unions” in general. They can also trash, disparage and otherwise criticize your competition. That’s free speech. The only thing you can’t do is call into question the financial safety or soundness of a specific financial institution.
Regulators aren’t there to make sure everyone plays nice. They only care about preventing possible runs on deposits that triggered by fiscal fear-mongering.
I raised the point not so much because I think regulators should act but because similar concerns have been raised by them over less inflamatory messaging in the past.
You can be inflammatory. You just can’t incite a run on deposits by calling into question the financial safety or soundness of another institution.
As my wife would say, its like the pot calling the kettle black. Just because someone says it on TV, doesn’t make it true. Hopefully people will do their own research before getting in bed with Ally or at least do some research online and see that they are really just GMAC after a hangover.
I love the ads. The only thing that bothers me about them is that I didn’t create them! You have to understand that Ally’s target here is the “big” banks with which the consumers, presumably, have a high level of dissatisfaction. If Ally can show that their methods and customer experience are appreciably better than that offered by its competition, then the provision of “puffery” allows them to creatively demonstrate that advantage to the consumer.
I’m appreciative for this post and to know that others (irrespective of banking or credit union affiliation) see the hypocrisy that this institution is practicing. It is one thing to have a good ad (which these admittedly are). What is galling is that the parent has accepted large sums of government bailout money because of a failed business model and is line for more as needed. Yet the ads hype the very “transparency” that they have failed to practice by not disclosing who they are or where they came from. You could even stretch the argument to conclude that the taxpayer is paying millions for these ads. Could or should this change the consumers’ perception and propensity to make deposits? I guess as long as the FDIC insurance sticker is there many consumers may just not care as long as they deposit less than $250k. The bigger question is when should the consumer need to research who they are doing business with and when true transparency matters.
I think it is hypocritical of Ally to claim transparency when they are fooling kids in their ads – not funny in my book. It is completely out of order to take advantage of children’s naivete, sense of trust, and innocence to make a buck. For this reason, I would never, ever consider banking with Ally.
Does no one else get that these ads are emotionally abusive toward these kids? Come on people. No one has a basic psych background? It’s only a matter of time before Ally has to pull these ads.
You do realize these are ads, right?
Yes, of course I realize these are ads. With all due respect, the fact that you are missing my point is exactly what I find disturbing. So, here’s the dreaded long version:
Although the children know they are being filmed, they are not acting. They are not informed that this is a stunt; Ally officials have confirmed this. This is why they are able to get these reactions–the same ones many viewers find so humorous. Ally knows this is wrong, because they have justified their tactics by claiming that, later, they give the kids what they originally dangled in front of them, indicating Ally erroneously concludes that this legitimizes their tactics.
If all children responded the same as the boy with the truck, this would be of less concern. He fights back. The majority of the girls do not. This is the problem. These are children, children who believe what they are being told by an older bigger adult in an authority position, children who are placed in this “ad” by their own parents (their most influential authority figures). It’s one more situation that legitimizes young girls (and, occasionally, boys) giving their power away. And isn’t everyone who finds these ads clever and entertaining legitimizing this as well? We justify treating children in this way because it’s an ad? Really? Our girls are seeing these ads, too.
These children don’t have a voice.
I am a physician with a background in psych and women’s health, but don’t take my word for it–is there a child psychologist out there who would be willing to comment? I can only hope that I am wrong. Attention women’s studies professors: flag these ads for course curriculum.
You people are all missing the point. Treating children as pawns for advertising’s sake is abominable. And NO – an ad is not just an ad – kids watch tv – what kind of warped message is this sending to impressionable little minds? And to the parents of these unsuspecting children – is the money really worth prostituting your child?
Comments on this article are now closed.
[...] installment in the ever-popular Ally Bank TV ad series. In this one, Ally attacks bank promotional incentives: “Even kids know it’s wrong to treat new [...]
[...] they get paid to represent the Ally brand? What would Ally’s infamous advertising antagonist, Mr. Disclaimer, have to say about this [...]
[...] Ally’s earlier commercials starring Mr. Disclaimer, this latest spot from Ally only gives a glancing reference to the benefits viewers might enjoy. [...]