Westpac NZ launches next chapter of Together Greater via the Publicis Connected Platform
Westpac has launched the next expression of its brand platform Together Greater, with Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, Digitas and Spark Foundry, together as part of the Publicis Groupe Connected Platform model.
The launch films, OOH and social content feature numerous New Zealanders including Westpac staff aiming for their ‘Greater’ big or small. One 30 second spot is themed homelife, another celebrates how Westpac and Kiwis care, and the third focuses on everyday banking life.
Says Suraiya Phillimore-Smith, chief marketing officer at Westpac: “Our ambition for this refresh of Westpac’s brand platform is to give more meaning to Together Greater. Westpac has been deeply involved in Aotearoa communities for over 160 years. We felt we needed to express a more real and relevant understanding of what ‘together greater’ means, within a truly New Zealand context, alongside our customers.”
Says Steve Cochran, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi: “There’s no category with a more diverse range of customers than banking. Basically, it’s everyone from every corner of society. That’s a great excuse to fill a campaign with the people Westpac serve every day. Even better when you’re playing with a human truth such as everyone having desire for some kind of greater, whatever their greater is. It’s a premise we know can provide us a consistent brand point of view for some time.”
The campaign was directed by Wade Shotter of FINCH and stills and shot by Fraser Clements. As part of the Connected Platform community, Spark Foundry is responsible for architecting and planning the media experience and partnership strategy, with Digitas taking the platform into the Westpac digital experience, customer journeys and personalisation.
Client: Westpac New Zealand
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
Production company: FINCH
Director: Wade Shotter
Producer: Jimena Murray
Executive Producer: Bex Kelly
Audio: Liquid Studios – Andy Mortem
Production/music licensing: Tamara O’Neil
Music: Some Sunsick Day – Morgan Delt
Photography: Fraser Clements – Match
Media Agency: Spark Foundry New Zealand
Customer Agency: Digitas New Zealand
22 Comments
To see a little sprinkle of oddness and quirkiness into a category of bland
Really liking the movies, really loving the sound track, hating the (but why?) pink bits in the print.
It’s done the trick, nicely directed. I’d have kept Stand By Me as the track for emotion.
Is this greater than the gruffalo? It’s cute, sure. But feels a bit BNZ and I’ve already forgotten it. Grade feels that way too.
Hearing Steve’s voice in these warms the soul a little.
It’s a shocker. Terrible bland old manifesto that no-one will listen to. A big drop from the magical-ness of the monster.
Finally brings the Greater Together platform to life in a relatable, relevant way! Looks like there’ll be some practical tips to follow too. Well done all! Great casting. And very well shot Wade!
Great, honest work from S&S! Insights feel like they weren’t scraped from the epidermal level of the youth audience, which is encouraging to see for a bank.
Thanks for not treating youngins like babies who just want flashing lights, TikTok choreos and emotionally flaccid influencers.
Yikes.
I always thought ‘Greater Together’ smacked of bad client feedback — like the idea was actually ‘Better Together’ but got forced down a slightly awkward route. And while the big monster was cute, it was kind of confusing. Is my bank a giant monster?
This makes better use of a clunky line.
Not Greater Together. Greater Together is clunky. But that’s not what it is.
This one’s for the early starters, the late night farters, and the women’s garters. For those who do and those who don’t. And all those in between. Even Nan. Here’s to everyone.
Vignette check. A pop of brand colour in each scene check. Nobody will notice check.
This is too boring to comment on.
yeah nah … fast forward. Nothing brave here at all. What a lost opportunity.
This represents everything wrong in advertising right now: A bland, predictable, show the target market by numbers using a script we’ve seen many times before.
After all that I still don’t know why I should switch bank.
Greater
These are not only well written and well made, let’s not forget the degree of difficulty involved in getting a bank client to buy them. Beers all round.
These are very nice…Well done S&S and Finch. TBH you had me a ‘croc-doggy’.
I’m no cinematographer but why is the grade so washed out??? Feels like a BNZ or National Bank spot. Shouldn’t this have higher saturation? As in ‘warm’ cues, like the logo suggests? Other than that, this is about as bland as last night’s meatloaf.
Way better than anything DDB ever did. Loved everything especially v/o.
I’m a miserable prick, but these are ok, way better than ripping off Sendak.