Comments on: The new Westpac ad may be great – but you’ll have to take their word for it

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:11:42 +0000

the new west pac commercial.
“the bank you can bank on”.

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what they are suggesting when they say ‘we are not on a first date’.

thanks.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:08:31 +0000

Westpac add: “We’re factor 50″

What the hell is that suposed to mean?

Is it in relation to the sunscreen index or someother finance world crap?

By: Hasbro

Hasbro — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:10:52 +0000

This is pretty hilarious.
How anyone could ever have thought putting the exectuive team into a video press release was a good idea!
Did I just walk into a heavy carpeted 1980s community branch building society?
And you can totally imagine the politics around each person being involved. Why do all 3 of them need to be in their own video?!
Stupid waste of money that damages the brand not builds it.

By: Liz Rowell

Liz Rowell — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:35:12 +0000

But enough about me, let’s talk about what you think about me. Signed W.

By: Ella Smith

Ella Smith — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:00:55 +0000

In addition, if a bank thinks that if it tells us how great it is often enough and loud enough, do they truly believe we will all start to believe it?

By: Ella Smith

Ella Smith — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:57:18 +0000

Great to see a bank telling us how great it is…sure, great bank, love some of what you do – but can someone ring me from Westpac so I can share my customer service feedback about the disastrous experience we had with a branch when we got our $500K worth of home loan?
Consultant had no interpersonal skills, left other customers’ personal details on the screen (which we could see!), had snot hanging out of his nose, his phone rang constantly (which he ignored), insisted on us completing a credit card application (which we told him we didn’t want) and an inflatable Santa next to his desk was so loud we could barely hear what he was saying…
Can’t help but feel cynical about the ads as a result.. consistency in your customer service would be a great start before splashing about ad dollars!

By: Rob Fraser

Rob Fraser — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:15:17 +0000

westpac, putting the “W” in bank

By: John Grono

John Grono — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:34:56 +0000

I just thought in the first clip that there was this spooky ghosting Christ-like halo around that blokes head! Maybe this is the second coming for Westpac!

Speaking of financial institutions – and I can’t remember which brand it is – there is an ad floating around where they talk about how times are tough and how they recognise how important our dwindling savings are, followed by the tag-line “We want what you want”.

Damn right they do. I want my money … and quite clearly they want my money as well !

By: James

James — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:12:01 +0000

Marklen, I’m with Tim….bloody genius!!!

By: Anonmenon

Anonmenon — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:09:59 +0000

Just watched the ad… so can anyone else see the irony in Westpac being;
The “Bank you can bank on.”
The “Jumper in case” –
The “Safety bar… not the rollercoaster”
While at the same time….
Being at the forefront of online social media…
First to market.. in their online strategy…
Telling you… (Before you can actually see it televised) that they are Great… and Revolutionary marketers…
while at the same time being;
“Factor 50” (more like aged 50) … that “stick to the path”

I think the line that sold me was
“The Iron that is definitely switched off”

… In other words not switched on??

By: Tony@TacticalTV

Tony@TacticalTV — Mon, 11 May 2009 03:53:01 +0000

Can anyone remember Westpac’s “Who can you bank on?” campaign?

All singing, jingling, elbows and knees acting and dancing.

Glad to see the palace re-cycling old junk. Quite green of them really.

By: john

john — Sun, 10 May 2009 10:59:24 +0000

awful, absolutely awful, and I’m talking about the clips not the ad which I have just seen on their website and which does nothing for me.

Last time you told me ‘my future was your future’ but I take it now you think my future is so worthless you no longer want to be associated with it?

A bank you can bank on. Great, thanks, really means something to me that. I presume we will be subjected to more inane commercials showing how we can bank on them to not follow the RBA rates down, give us such great credit card rates, etc etc.

Please please please though, whatever ads you release next, can we not have these awfully produced clips from undoubtedly overpaid and underworked marketing people trying to pretend they are so cool and clever.

What’s funny is that presumbably there is a hierachy thing happenning here anyway and so one of the three will not be there for the next ad, that one being the one whose daft idea the clips were – my moneys on the bald ugly one, at least the other two made some sense!

By: George Black

George Black — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:37:33 +0000

Who was responsible?

By: re: turn on

re: turn on — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:22:26 +0000

Always happy to see another major corporation embrace online.

But are they taking the piss with those YouTube videos? Fake digital wallpaper by Target, badly chroma keyed behind handycam talking heads, foreheads shining in desperate need of makeup. Did they want it to look like the office junior shot them in-house?

Is it some subtle satire? Westpac marketing during the GFC? A dig at YouTube UGC? Some kind of nefarious experiment in hypno-marketing?

By: Stephen Collins

Stephen Collins — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:34:42 +0000

Oh dear…