Continuing to push the envelope when it comes to next-generation radio advertising in the cut-throat banking sector is FNB with the ‘Steve’ campaign. Head of Marketing: Credit Card & Vehicle Finance Barrett Whiteford explains the thinking that’s led to a 40% increase in sales and more…
The Big Idea
Realising that no one sits in their cars, homes or work for hours in order to hear and ‘get’ the entire construct (4 separate messages that the bank wanted to communicate), FNB once again took to the drawing board. Their turning point came in the form of the hugely successful, and currently flighting ‘Steve’ radio campaign;
“Much as we as marketers could see the golden ribbon and how it all worked so well together, the reality is people don’t listen to ads the way we plan them. The challenge for us is that banking products are often the last thing people think about. At the same time, we need to build and grow our customer base. As financial institutions, we’re also bound by terms and conditions and other industry-related compliance issues, which have to be included in our ads”, he explains.
The birth of ‘Steve’
“The campaign came about by trying to turn a slice of life insight on its head. Most of it came from customer complaints such as ‘how dare a bank call me at 7:30pm in the evening, selling me something’. We wanted to make people cry, laugh, and in some cases, offend. We then sat down and wrote the ads, as long as they needed to be, to get the story across, and then we booked them, at that duration”, he says.
Putting its money where its mouth is, FNB went on air in May 2011, by flighting not 30 or 35 second ads, but 45, 60 and even 84 second long ads.
‘Ads are only as good as the results’
Whiteford is quick to add that the tongue in cheek ‘Steve’ campaign owes its success to radio. Within 2 months, this no-holes-barred approach to radio advertising has resulted in more than 10 999 opened (and swiped) FNB Gold Cards since the launch, resulting in increased uptake of other banking products on offer. What’s more, FNB also benefitted from added exposure from Kaya FM presenters waxing lyrical about the campaign in programming time, as well as other channels using the topical Steve campaign as editorial content. This has all contributed to making ‘Steve’ a household name.
Lessons learnt from ‘Steve’
- “For us at FNB, the 30 second ad died long ago. We’re now flighting 45, 60, 84 second long ads. An ad has to be as long as it takes to get the message across.
- Radio is something you get involved with from the onset. It’s not something you leave to an engineer to do. Radio is more important than TV because it allows us to reach people directly.
- Don’t let the duration of the spot hamper the creativity.
- Media maketh the spot. Our competitors were quiet and we didn’t hold back. There’s no such as thing as too much exposure. We decided that in the first hour, listeners should at least hear 2 to 3 ads.
- Stop painting by numbers. It has to be entertaining for the listener. Be topical. If you can’t be topical, be entertaining. Everyone loves a soapie.
- Lastly, use sonic triggers if you can. We start and end the ads the same way, with the same beeps”.
If that got you excited, wait ‘til you get here, and see the video clips!
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