The Co-operative Bank aired its new TV ad on ITV1 last night, officially marking the launch of its new campaign “It’s good to be different,” from Leo Burnett London. The bank is refreshing its brand with a new look and feel that is modern, distinctive and bold. These principles of difference are brought together to celebrate real people who are different and who do things differently in a positive way, as well as promoting the bank’s new Everyday Rewards current account incentive.
In the last year the bank has been developing products and services in line with its expanded ethical policy, the latest of which is “Everyday Rewards,” a scheme available to new and existing current account customers. Opting in to Everyday Rewards and meeting the criteria could see customers earn up to £5.50 every month. This new campaign promotes Everyday Rewards, which shows how the Bank is doing things differently in a positive way, as well as identifying real people who share this ethos and telling their stories.
“It's been great to have the support of the Co-op to spread the word about guerrilla gardening”
The new TV ad introduces the first of these real people. Richard Reynolds is a father and husband living in Elephant and Castle in London, who has a passion for gardening which he channels into making a difference for his family and community by transforming dull and lifeless parts of the area into a beautiful garden in a process he refers to as “Guerrilla Gardening.”
Reynolds was recently named by The Telegraph as one of the most influential gardeners in the UK. He even authored a book on the subject of guerrilla gardening, and has his own website of the same name. The ad starts with Reynolds gazing longingly out of his window as he talks about how he sees the “Grim landscape as a blank canvas.” The story then moves on to show how Richard transforms an adopted piece of land and the difference he makes with his time, effort and enthusiasm, along with the impact upon the community through the reaction of others involved and passing by.
The Co-operative Bank's Everyday Rewards – Richard's Story
Beri Cheetham, ECD on the campaign at Leo Burnett, said of the concept behind the spot: “This was an opportunity to create something different and to be the antithesis to what a bank would normally do. First we searched for people who do things differently to benefit those in their local communities. Then, completely unscripted, we let the cameras roll so they could tell their stories. The result is something that is authentic and sincere.”
John Dower, Director at Pulse, who produced the spot, added: “As a commercial director with a documentary background I'm very aware of all the great real people out there but it's rare for a brand to feature them in their spots. The beauty of this campaign is that we were looking for characters who reflect a bank who really do things differently. The challenge was to find individuals who aren't different just for the sake of it, self-styled eccentrics, but those who genuinely want to make a difference. A person such as Richard, our guerrilla gardener, is just that.”
“This was an opportunity to create the antithesis what a bank would normally do”
Reynolds, the dedicated Guerrilla Gardener who was thrilled to be able to use the ad to promote the pastime on a wider scale, said: “It's been great to have the support of the Co-op Bank to spread the word about guerrilla gardening, to make people feel good about getting things done a bit unconventionally. I've had many approaches over the years by brands looking to associate with guerrilla gardening, but few have appreciated our positive ethos in the way the team working with Co-op Bank did from the outset. I shouldn't have been surprised, I've been a customer for many years. The documentary-like approach to the ad really captures what we do with great authenticity.”
