The bank that broke the banking clichés (video)

In the new ProCredit Bank TV ad, we see something that has not been done by other banks before.

The camera zooms in on a behind-the-scenes look at Petar, the bank's CEO, who is preparing for an interview, and it takes only a few seconds to shatter all our stereotypes about financiers.

Petar is not wearing a suit and does not exude severity. It shows that our ideas about bankers are just a bunch of illusions that have little to do with reality. Or at least that is the case at ProCredit Bank.

With its genuine-feel advertising campaign, the bank shows that it is not afraid to come forward and present its authentic image. The inclusion of real employees and management in the person of Petar gives a natural atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the usual pretense in the advertising block.

We get to know the real people who work at ProCredit Bank and their actual environment, not artificially behaving and script-reciting actors dressed as if to fit a certain mold.

Breaking away from established marketing standards by showing the audience a type of ad they're not used to seeing is definitely a risky move, but also a pretty bold one.

It goes without saying that it would be easier, for example, for a pretty model to list the conditions for a favorable mortgage loan while smiling at us from the screen urging us to invest in our dreams.

And although that would fit our generic idea of ​​a bank advertisement, we are also able to effortlessly recognize its scripted mannerisms.

When we watch the ProCredit Bank advertisement, we see quite the opposite.

We see a person confident in his position and expertise. He has accumulated enough experience to not need fancy conspicuous attributes, such as a business suit, to mark that expertise. He gives the impression that he knows what he is doing and how he can be useful to you, without relying on the familiar means of distraction or creating professional distance.

The new ProCredit Bank commercial captures a sense of freedom and transparency. We are overwhelmed by a sense of ease and casualness – key qualities in building trust between financial institutions and consumers.

With their pioneering communication approach, ProCredit Bank gets drastically closer to customers by connecting them with their actual employees through the screen. You feel a sense of closeness by seeing faces on TV that you then have a chance of meeting at your local bank branch.

People we can talk to in person, share our ideas with, and seek a solution together. They're not empty shells who appear on television for a minute to recite a text whose meaning they don't really understand or believe in.

And last but not least, ProCredit Bank's ad is a testament to the trust the company has in its employees.

There are not many banks that would present themselves in commercials using the very people comprising their teams - and without unnecessary pomp and ceremony at that.

The sincere approach of ProCredit Bank is a sign that they have faith in their employees. They are positive that these professionals know how to take care of clients' finances - so, there is no need to resort to worn-out TV tricks.

ProCredit Bank is not afraid to show us the real, authentic financial experts removed from the cliched perceptions about them. And it is also not afraid to win us over with honesty, because it is simply a different bank – different from what we are used to seeing.

Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov