Pancakes = Opportunities + Optimism
“No matter how long
the night has been,
there’s always breakfast.
This is America.
The sun comes up and
we get a fresh start.”
– BofA’s ‘Pancakes’
Bank of America’s current brand TV ad titled “Pancakes” is an artfully subtle message of hope and reassurance. It sends a message about the economy that Americans want to hear: “Things will be okay and we’ll get through this.”
In a sense, the ad is almost an ad for “Brand America” (not just the bank, but the whole country). It taps deep into the American psyche, speaking directly to the consummate faith in our power to prevail through even the darkest times.
Script for BofA’s “Pancakes”
No matter how long the night has been, there’s always breakfast.
This is America. The sun comes up and we get a fresh start.
At Bank of America,
opportunities are waiting for every customer, every day.
Like risk-free CDs, innovative ways to save,
and smarter ways to spend.
No wonder one-out-of-two households in America
trust their finances with Bank of America. Bank of Opportunity.
Sorry, you can’t see the spot anywhere online yet.
A spokesman from BofA told The Financial Brand the current economic crisis has kept the bank’s
internal communications team too busy to upload its latest spots to its Newsroom.
Here are a few still images from “Pancakes.”
Who knew pancakes could make such a beautiful metaphor? It’s almost like saying, “Hey, America just had a real economic bender. Glad that’s over. Now let’s have breakfast and get this hangover behind us.” Coupled with the visuals, it’s wonderfully optimistic.
The spot positions BofA as a leader, poised to guide America out of our economic crisis. This is a much more creative way to reassure people with a “safe and sound” message than simply saying, “We’re safe and sound.”
The spot weaves in a few products and services, then finishes with a point-of-proof that essentially says “half of America trusts us, so you can too.”
All around, it’s a smart spot — one that’s on-brand for BofA, offering a relevant, timely message.
Agency: BBDO
This article © 2012 by The Financial Brand and may not be reproduced.
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This message reminds me of the Ronald Regan ’84 campaign: “Morning in America” that gave calm to potential voters worried about the early 80s recession. Arguably one of the most effective political ads ever made. (at least accourding to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_in_America
Think it’s a coincidence that Obama’s campaign logo resembles a sunrise?
Would really like to see the ad. On a side-note, I checked out some more of BBDO’s work – they do some really nice stuff for all industries. The most salient feature I noticed in many of their ads is that they haven’t forgotten the appeal of emotional pull and the time-honored method of achieving it – telling a story.
I suppose that ties in nicely with your and Joe Seale’s recognition of the power of the positive message. It can be very reassuring.
Thanks for the comments Craig and Joe.
Martin Bishop at Landor (arguably the world’s premiere branding firm) thinks BofA was premature with the spot, since we haven’t hit bottom yet. He also draws some parallels with Obama’s messaging in the comments below the article.
The copy for this ad is great, especially with the picture of the doctor, suggesting a long hard night of heartbreak. However after you-tubing the ad, I can’t help but feel as if the emotional pull on this particular ad was lost with the music. The pictures of people sleeping show comfort where I believe the ad suggests dis-comfort. The idea is amazing, but the spot itself was cliche.