There are a couple of Citibank ads that started appearing late last year. I haven’t been able to find it anywhere on the net, finally got one of the storyboards here.
This one shows a ‘home’ scenario where a woman complains to her husband about how his brother (Amar) has brought his financial planner to meet their father. The husband is very happy that his brother has become responsible, but the wife feels that the brother is eyeing their business. Later, the father says that since Amar has become smart in finance, and should handle their new factory. While the brother is happy with it, his wife is shown fuming.
There’s another office scenario where a junior is shown to become smarter and is offered a new project, while a colleague warns his senior that he is trying to leap over him. The ads are only meant to convey that after using Citibank’s services, a person becomes smarter in his finance. I’ve seen a few comments on the net which don’t appreciate the execution/storyline of the ads, but i have a different view of it.
Set in the context of a corporate/domestic life that has an abundance of back biting and ‘success at any cost’ mantras, and product and brand communication that has no qualms about accepting it that way and portraying it too, it shows a person who’s confident enough about his own skills to not feel threatened and is magnanimous enough to be happy about another person’s growth. To me, that’s a value statement in itself, and a refreshing one at that. I really don’ t know if it is by design, even if it is not, I (also) read it that way.
until next time, efficacity
Meanwhile, the cola wars are back, its Youngistan vs Thums up. Catch the video here (courtesy this)