The ad Ally would run if it was really honest
December 31, 2009
When Ally Bank was borne from the ashes of GMAC earlier this year, the bank’s CMO told us that “talking straight” is one of the three principles at the heart of the Ally brand. Well then, in light of Ally’s recent $3.8 billion infusion from the U.S. Treasury, here’s the ad they should run…but probably won’t. (Please note: This ad was created by The Financial Brand for instructive and illustrative purposes only.)
Source: ProPublica “Bailout Recipients”
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Previous related stories from The Financial Brand:
- Ally irritates kids (and bankers) with more spots
- Massive bank failures must be on the way
- Don’t throw the TARP on credit unions
- GMAC launches deposits-only ‘Ally Bank’
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Filed Under: Advertising, Branding
December 31st, 2009 at 8:50 am
I love the look, feel and approach but Ally is a bank. If people want honesty and transparency they should belong to a not-for-profit credit union that gives back to it’s members. That’s that.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:34 am
[...] • The Financial Brand » The ad Ally would run if it was really honest [...]
January 4th, 2010 at 7:37 am
I’m not an Ally fan by any means but aren’t your facts somewhat skewed? Sure GMAC received this money as the parent company, but the article itself (linked above) states only $1.3B went to Ally, no? If we’re talking ‘honesty and transparency’ it should cut both ways I think, otherwise it only serves to weaken your argument by using faulty data to support your position.
[I know it's a tongue-in-cheek ad in jest but facts are facts and half-facts are half-facts...]
January 4th, 2010 at 7:55 am
Bill, where does GMAC stop and Ally start?
January 7th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Great ad and you are right, Ally and GMAC are indistinguishable.
Kathleen is pretty dumb if she thinks there is any better tansperancy at her credit union though. Hey Kathleen, how much does your credit union’s CEO make annually? I am talking salary and compensation. If you know, post it in a reply. Since you are a member-owned not-for-profit financial cooperative I bet your entire membership knows exactally the answer to that question. Ah, come on! Don’t they? Right. You are just like a bank, only slightly worse because you even lie to yourself.
At least banks (for the most part) can tell us what they pay people. It pisses us off, but at least they tell us a good portion of salary and compensation. (Go ahead and chime in people telling me they keep plenty hidden. I know.) Neiter Banks nor Credit Unions are transperant and I don’t even know if they need to be as long as they give me good returns on my savings and don’t totally rape me on loans. I guess I just get a little tired of how credit unions fool themselves into thinking they are so radically different than a bank when truth is, Ally is pretty transperant. They might not make an ad like you made (which is very clever, by the way), but that doesn’t mean they are hiding the fact that they keep taking bailout funds either.
January 11th, 2010 at 7:08 am
To the editor: You asked where GMAC stop and Ally start, and I think if you went to the GMAC website you would understand that Ally is simply just a part of GMAC. They also have mortgage and auto businesses. I think most of the money they received is going to those areas of business since those are the hardest hit in this economy. I don’t think your portrayal is very fair, and I agree with Bill that half-facts are simply half-lies.
January 11th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Sorry some people are irritated over the amount. All anyone knows at this point is how $1.3 billion was used (one-third), and even that allocation isn’t very clear.
January 12th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Jeffry,
Props for a hilarious blog post. I for one have been following the rebranding campaign of the Ally arm of GMAC for quite some time. While I think those of us that follow the industry closely enjoyed your satircal post, the public at-large is probably unaware of the connection (or difference for that matter) between the two institutions. For that reason, I can only be astounded at the excellent re-branding efforts and accompanying marketing campaigns launched by Ally.
Will perfect transparency in the financial industry, government, etc. ever occur? Maybe when we start putting our salaries next to our titles in our email signatures… Any vounteers?
March 3rd, 2010 at 12:04 am
[...] 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 [...]
July 15th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
The big thing problem is not so much that GMAC is in fact Ally and GM is in fact GMAC, but the situation where they combined to shut down a competitive new automaker at exactly the right time to boost GM sales without that pesky new USA automaker to get in the way.
Naaaa, GM would never work with their banking branch to steal the home of a competitive automaker and crush their funding and attempt to vanish into a blur of new corproate names.
According to a couple of the commentators here, I’d say some people are just plain stupid enough to believe anything and that GM, GMAC are anything but the most vile and evil conglomerates to ever exist.
Try googling “GM shutting down smaller automaker”, or “new automaker being crushed by GM”. Life can be viewed quite differently from the driver’s seat when you OPEN YOUR EYES ( kathleen, Bill and Maizley) and even better when you happen to be the man and his company being dragged under the government funded GM car.
The goodguy will win in this instance and if he doesn’t, then the world might need to rethink this new so-called leadership in DC and the way by which lawyers come and go.