Every business is important to someone in latest Bank of New Zealand campaign via Colenso BBDO
Bank of New Zealand and Colenso BBDO have collaborated to remind New Zealanders of the important role a business can play in someone’s life.
The ad, directed by Nathan Price at Ruskin, follows a teenage boy with a love for dance living in rural New Zealand. While his skills and dedication to dance are obvious, it’s also clear he’s alone in his pursuit. His story of isolation is set to a stripped back cover of Robyn’s song, ‘Dancing on my own’. The end reveals that while he might be physically disconnected from the people who love what he does, he’s connected through an online dance school.
Says Simon Vicars, chief creative officer, Colenso BBDO: “It’s been a hard year for businesses. Now felt like the right time to advocate for their importance again – to remind us all of the influence they have in the lives of everyday New Zealanders. There’s so much uncertainty that comes with being a teenager. This is a story of a business that doesn’t just teach dance, but reassures a kid he’s not alone.”
Bank of New Zealand are market leaders in the business banking category, with more lending to business customers than any other bank in the country.
Says Amy Phillips, GM marketing and design at BNZ: “At our heart, we’re the bank that backs businesses and the people behind them. The last 18 months have been tough for New Zealand’s businesses, but we’ve stood by them and helped them adapt, knowing the important role they play in our communities.”
The ad which was shot across two days in Tūākau, will run on TV, digital and is supported by OOH and social.
Client – BNZ
Agency – Colenso BBDO
Production Company – Ruskin
Director – Nathan Price
Executive Producer – Claris Harvey
Producer – Helen Naulls
DOP – Ginny Loane
Editor – Luke Haigh
Colourist – Ben Eagleton
Online – Damon Duncan & Rhys Dippie
Post Production – Assembly
Music & Sound – Franklin Rd
Media Agency – Hearts & Science
21 Comments
That’s annoying that a bank made me feel something. Actually that’s not fair, Westpac made me feel confused
Is this for a telco? the link to banking is distant…
Really good. Would’ve been an even better fit for us.
This was really nicely put together. And I work at a place that should say it was sh!t
That’s a really nice spot.
Nice ad, well shot, great casting. Well done on the ad Spark! It is for Spark, right?
Spark script repurposed?
An ad written by people that have probably never owned a business, been mortgaged up to the tits, had to beg the bank to extend loan, suffered lockdowns, dealt with family life and all the pressures associated with that, dealing with employees as well as fending off competition.
So, did this ad strike a chord?
I’ll let you figure that out.
Additionally, it’s just another dancing ad.
Sounds like you’re in the wrong business mate.
Can everyone please go back and read How Brands Grow so we don’t look like naive muppets who don’t understand how the thing we do for a living actually works? This is a nice piece of ‘creative’ but if the consumer can’t remember it was advertising BNZ you haven’t increased the brand’s mental availability and have therefore failed.
This ad will test terribly on brand attribution. People will remember the kid but not BNZ. The connection to the brand is beyond tenuous and the endframe logo is not enough to make a lasting connection. People are suggesting it might work for Spark and I agree it would perform better for that brand but only marginally.
True commercial creativity means baking the brand into the idea from beginning to end so it’s unmissable and unmistakable. The Saatchi’s Hilux ad is a great example.
This is simply too much money spent on a creative premise that won’t work commercially. Do better please.
P.S maybe the OOH does a better job of actually advertising BNZ – can we see it?
Its a gorgeous ad, emotive, piece of great story telling, good music, with surprise… but feels like a spark script that never got made.
The connection is miles from a bank. a leap on a leap.
It deserves to be liked, just not as a business bank ad.
Can we see which creatives did the work?
Not crediting creative is non-sense.
Yeah, feels like a better fit for Spark – but it’s a cool spot all the same. And I don’t hate a bank ad that feels cooler than a bank ad. Well done.
An ad that made me feel something rather than telling me what to feel. It’s a winner for that alone.
When will the world learn we don’t need another dancing ad? This and its purple lightening will be forgotten as fast as the last one.
It’s great. Better than any other bank ad right now. And real emotion, which is more than any other spot on TV. People bitching about another dance ad and Byron Sharp are the people who make the work this beats hands down.
ASB is the best work in market currently. Some long standing characters that will give brand awareness of the bat, nice charming content that people will love, and some good solid linkage back to banking products in home loans and saving etc
@Get in the ring; totally agree with both your comments. I do keep forgetting the names of the couple though despite liking the work. Maybe that’s my geriatric bad.
The work on TV right now has never been worse. This is by a long shot the best film of the year. ASB treats people like pre schoolers.
The first Friday night at the Club post-Lockdown has yielded one of the greatest hangovers in living memory.
In fact, my hangover will probably last longer than any business owner’s memory of this commercial.
It seems somewhat out of touch with reality.
But that’s my opinion.
Maybe I’m the one who’s out of touch.
Perhaps a dancing teenager will make hardened business owners switch banks?
But I’m not convinced.
The only thing I know is that the only way to beat a lingering atom bomb of a hangover is to open a bottle of Chablis.
Bombs away…
What broadband plan is that kid on? I need it.