A portfolio of 17 unique, unusual and noteworthy creative marketing initiatives from banks and credit unions around the world. Enjoy! (Note: RSS readers will need to view the article at the website in order to watch the videos.)

ANZ – “Perfect World”

In a perfect world everything would revolve around you. Sadly, it doesn’t. ANZ does a good job depicting the contrasts between one’s idyllic fantasies and the way things really work. These spots are funny — mostly because they strike a chord of truth — but the segues into the bank’s offers are a little tenuous. Fun to watch anyway, and good name awareness.

ANZ – PERFECT LIFE

ANZ – PERFECT HOUSE

ANZ – PERFECT TRAVEL

Wells Fargo – ATM interface overhaul

Wells Fargo hired Pentagram in the fall of 2005 to begin work on a new user interface for their ATMs. The bank wanted a more graceful presentation flow rather — not a choppy screen-to-screen feel — with an overall more elegant appearance. There are a lot more screenshots here.

Public Service Credit Union – “Money Shot”

Cue the 70s porn music. An unattractive, out-of-shape, overweight banker strips down to bath himself in your money. Type superimposed on the screen says, “What are the big banks really doing with your money?” Presumably, this one-minute video never actually made it on TV and only aired in the living rooms of those who helped produce it. Is it anything but creepy?

PUBLIC SERVICE CU – “MONEY SHOT”

Alfa Bank – “Holiday Overtime”

In this TV spot, a boss addresses the office. “Who wants to work during the holidays?” he asks. Silence. He asks again. Finally a young man volunteers. “You are going to a 3-day workshop in Paris…with my translator Tanya.” (Spoiler: Tanya is gorgeous). The announcer says, “Alfa Bank, Honestly Beneficial.” Thanks to Mykola Chumak at Identity Group for the translation.

ALFA BANK – “HOLIDAY OVERTIME”

Mango Money – P2P Payments Website

Both the name and website are a breath of fresh air in the usually stuffy financial space. Mango Money enables person-to-person payments through mobile phones using a prepaid Mastercard.

BBVA Compass – “Banking Solutions for You

BBVA took Compass Bank over a year or two ago. This is the first ad the Spanish parent company has run for its new U.S. acquisition. It’s for a popular Compass Bank product, “Build-to-Order Free Checking,” that BBVA has retained. The spot uses a montage to accurately capture the hectic financial lives we have today.

BBVA COMPASS – “HOW DO YOU BANK”

China – Sponsored Money

If you’re a bank, what could be cooler than having your logo printed right on the money? China not only puts logos for banks like HSBC and Standard Chartered on their money, they use illustrations of banks’ Chinese headquarters on the bills! Thanks to Mykola Chumak at Identity Group for the tip.

OnPoint Community Credit Union – “The Jogger”

A woman sees her favorite house is for sale, so she breaks out her iPhone and calls “Michael” at OnPoint who is ready to make it happen. “I can be there in 10 minutes,” she says. You can see another spot in the series here. Agency: Weber Marketing Group.

ONPOINT – “THE JOGGER”

ASB – Bigger Term Deposits

Very seldom do financial institutions explore typographic metaphors. Here’s a rather simply one where a long, somewhat rambling block of copy slowly grows larger in type size to convey the concept that ASB’s term deposits “get bigger.” Source: Saatchi Daily Banking Blog.

BofA – “We Listened.”

For the last 18 months, it seems BofA has been staying one step ahead of Congress. Rather than wait for legislative reforms to take effect, the bank is making it look like it’s responding to people’s frustrations. It’s probably about as close as any bank will come to saying it’s sorry.

SA – “Long Driveway”

A family packs into their car for the long drive ahead…down their super-long driveway. The message: “Get more home for your money with SA.”

WESTPAC – SUE ANNE

Westpac – Branch Managers Are Back

This Australian bank is showcasing the independence, empowerment and flexibility of its 600 branch managers in a series of TV spots. The production technique is about as Spartan as you can get, matching the frank tone of the spots.

WESTPAC – SUE ANNE

Bethpage FCU – Meet Beth & Paige

When your financial institution is based in- and serves only the area of Bethpage, New York, you work with it. In this TV spot, the $3.6 billion credit union introduces two “employees” named Beth and Paige. The pair serve a third woman, Mary, a professional dog walker who needs a bigger backyard. Agency: Austin + Williams.

BETHPAGE FCU – “BETH & PAIGE”

Mission FCU – “My Mission: Life To Its Fullest”

The credit union held a TV commercial contest and among the entries was this professional looking spot. It’s better than many of the TV commercials other credit unions typically produce and air themselves.

MISSION FCU – “LIFE TO THE FULLEST”

Saxo Bank – “Taking the Lead”

The European bank is playing up its sponsorship of a cycling team in a new online social media promo. They are giving away 25,000 inflatable “victory hands,” and one lucky winner will get a VIP trip to watch the Tour de France. In addition to a microsite, the effort includes YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

FirstBank – Bank lobby billboards

Dimensional 14×48 billboards hold aloft bank lobby trappings like a wood-paneled desk and chair, a velvet rope and stanchions, a potted ficus tree, and a framed reproduction of scenic mountainscape, all giant-sized. The campaign, breaking concurrently with an overhaul of FirstBank’s online browser interface, invites viewers to “Enjoy the bank lobby, even if you bank online.” Agency: TDA Advertising & Design.

Satander – Lo-tech advertising

If you’re going to take the trouble to hire street teams and deploy non-traditional ad mediums like human billboards and moped advertising, why be so boring? “Hey mister, we’ve got better banking and great offers. Here, do you want a brochure?”

Recently, The Financial Brand studied the core values of 50 banks with assets ranging from a few million up to hundreds of billions. The conclusion? No matter how big, how small or where they are in the world, banks all pretty much share the same beliefs. Shocking? Not really. But there were a couple of surprises along the way.

First, what are “core values?” Financial institutions often get confused about what the difference is between mission statements, vision statements and core values (see The Financial Brand’s comparison here).

Quite simply, core values are philosophical ideals an organization stands for. One easy easy way to define a core value is to simply finish this sentence: “We believe in ___________ .” If it doesn’t fit in this sentence structure, it probably isn’t a core value and belongs somewhere else.

Here are the values most commonly listed by the 50 banks studied:

1. Integrity – 34 banks
2. Teamwork – 15 banks
3. Excellence – 11 banks
4. Commitment – 10 banks
5. Honesty – 10 banks
6. Respect – 10 banks
7. Service – 10 banks
8. Professionalism – 8 banks
9. Customers – 7 banks
10. Trust – 6 banks
11. Community – 6 banks
12. Loyalty – 6 banks
13. Innovation – 5 banks

Ironically, one bank listed “staying true to our core values” as one of its core values.

Key Question: Where is Transparency? Accountability?

The most common core values cited by banks are depicted in the Wordle diagram at the top of this article. The more common the word, the larger it is (the colors don’t mean anything).

Integrity was offered by over two-thirds of banks. Many made an effort to define the term, although most agreed on the general principle, “It’s about doing the right thing.”

Reality Check: Just like mission statements, financial institutions’ core values are loaded with bromides — safe expressions that the committee/board can rally around without a struggle. Who can object to “Teamwork?” Aren’t you in favor of “Excellence?” For many institutions, this is pretty much C.R.A.P. If your core values include any from the list above, they probably aren’t doing much to differentiate you (if anything). They are everyone’s core values, and yet they are no one’s.

Key Question: Why have core values if they are going to be the same as everyone else?

Homework: What would happen if there was a “Financial Constitution” for consumers — a Banking Bill of Rights — that laid out what people should expect from any bank: Integrity, Excellence, Honesty, Respect, Professionalism? If that standard applied equally to everyone at all banks, what would your core values be then?

Most of the 50 banks’ core values were dull, uninspiring bullet lists that eventually all blurred together. But there were some interesting values that popped up once or twice: Agility, Creativity, Knowledge, Passion. These are the kind of values that help differentiate a financial institution.

Mulukanoor Cooperative Rural Bank in India is another example. Its core values aren’t just corporate cliches:

• A belief in being true “sons of the soil”
• A pride in a calling called farming
• Help thy farmer brother, you are helping yourself
• Self discipline and honesty
• Complete transparency and accountability

Cornerstone Bank also receives an honorable mention for its unique Christian values.

The most interesting set of core values from a financial behemoth comes from WaMu (yes, the failed bank):

• Fair
• Caring
• Human
• Dynamic
• Driven

These are uncommon core values, and they were something WaMu tried hard to live out (maybe too hard on the Driven value, since it appears their subprime assertiveness is what drove them into the ground).

As far as the number of core values each bank listed, here’s how it breaks down:

[TABLE=2]

The average was 4.66 values per bank.

Reality Check: No matter what the consultants say, there is no “right number” of values to have — not too many, not too few. Your organization is what it stands for, however many things that may be.

Bottom Line: Core values are meaningless unless you…

1. Use them to evaluate prospective employees,
2. Measure employee performance accordingly, and (most importantly)
3. Stick to them.

Bonus: How do you think banks’ core values compare to credit unions? Find out later this week when The Financial Brand looks at the core values of credit unions.

Some financial institutions have mission statements. Some have vision statements. Some have both. Some companies have a defined list of core values, while others don’t. One thing is for sure: There is a lot of confusion about what each of these tools should do.

The difference between a Mission Statement, a Vision Statement and Core Values in the simplest terms:

• Mission Statements – Say what you’re doing today
• Vision Statements – Say what you want to accomplish tomorrow
• Core Values – Define what you believe in

Reality Check: Most mission statements are full of trite, feel-good expressions. They only get approved because they say nothing unique nor courageous.

Here’s an example of a mission statement for an imaginary financial institution:

“Our mission is to be the premier provider
of superior financial solutions by
earning people’s trust in the most friendly,
professional manner possible.”

It is no one’s in particular. And yet it is everyone’s.

The day-to-day purpose, goals and beliefs of most financial institutions are almost identical, so it’s no surprise that they have similar-sounding missions, visions or values. They all want to “do what’s right,” and “hold themselves to the highest standards,” so they can…Yeah, yeah. It’s the same stuff you hear from hundreds of financial institutions.

Reality Check: In this economic climate, you’ll have to forgive the folks on Main Street. You may say you’re trying to do the right thing for your community, your employees and your shareholders, but right now, people are a little jaded and skeptical about such statements. When most people read a mission statement (including employees), they roll their eyes and think, “Phhbbbt…’a premier financial institution.’ Just more corporate mumbo-jumbo.”

Lookalike missions, visions and core values aren’t the real problem though. It’s when the board, CEO or senior leadership of a financial institution confuse any of these things for a brand strategy or brand position that real problems arise. In most cases, they aren’t anywhere close.

The missing piece: a brand position

All too often, senior management and the board are left trying to build a 3-legged brand strategy out of statements that essentially say the same thing as their competitors. The result? An undifferentiated brand.

Reality Check: The #1 thing that prevents an organization from crafting a brand position is that the CEO or board thinks the mission or vision is “the brand.” Odds are, these brands will live stunted lives.

What they need is the fourth leg of the table: a Brand Position. A Brand Position (or brand essence, or brand strategy, or USP, or whatever you want to call it) is where you can really differentiate yourself in relevant ways.

Things like mission, vision and values clarify what an organization is about, while a Brand Position says how you will deliver on those things. A Brand Position says how you will achieve your mission, accomplish your vision, and live out your values. It says how you will be different than your competitors. Will you become “the premier provider” by making banking easier? Will you be the most knowledgeable advisors?

Let’s use Disney as example. Their mission might be something safe, like:

“Our mission is to provide a wide range
of quality entertainment options
to families and children of all ages.”

Other entertainment companies could very well have an identical mission statement. And Disney’s core values are probably shared with at least some of their competitors. After all, Disney isn’t the only innovative family entertainment provider out there.

So what makes Disney special? It’s their Brand Position:

MAKE MAGIC MOMENTS

And they live this out. If you’ve ever seen a Disney film, gone to a Disney theme park or cruised on a Disney vessel, you should have had a fairytale experience. That’s how they provide “quality entertainment to families” differently than everyone else.

They can train people to live out their brand position. They can (and do) teach people how to make magic moments — how to use their imagination and creativity to do something people will remember. It’s engaging. Fun. Inspiring.

They are “The Happiest Place on Earth” because “The Magic Kingdom” is the kind of place “Where Dreams Come True.” (See the how a brand position can bring clarity, relevance and differentiation to tangible things like slogans?)

It’s a lot harder to help your staff understand what “premier” or “preferred” mean. Those kinds of terms are hard to train because they are vague, and have many varied interpretations to different people.

Give them something inspirational — that’s also credible — and watch them respond.