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ARBEJDERNES LANDSBANK – WHEN FINANCIAL CRISIS BECOMES YOUR BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY

20/05 2009 // Annette Flinck

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In recent years Arbejdernes Landsbank (AL-bank) has tried to build its brand in much the same way as most banking institutions here in Denmark. But in a world of generic banking, AL-bank has a unique story and reason for being. And instead of trying to imitate the behemoths of the financial world, we challenged and encouraged them to be proud of what they are.

AL-bank is primarily owned by unions and because of this, taking care of the workers’ money is what keeps them awake at night. Because of their ownership status, investors cannot speculate in the bank and the bank doesn’t “gamble” with the customers’ money.

This means that the bank has hardly been affected by the financial crisis. In fact they just bought a part of a bankrupt bank. That said, AL still needed to spread awareness of its story in order to counter most people’s attitudes that ‘A bank is just a bank, right?’

The strategic and communication challenge therefore was not only to take the bank in another direction, but also to make people believe it. We decided that the answer was to tell the truth. Unfortunately truth and advertising are about as connectable as oil and water – at least in the minds of consumers – so in order to create a feeling of authenticity we opted for a documentary approach.

We teamed up with Bastard Film - the best in the business when it comes to documentaries. We set up a team of journalists, researchers and filmmakers to search the country for real stories of people ‘rich’ in unconventional ways. This approach led to compelling, true stories as well as a far more honest look and feel than traditional advertising could ever have done.

As a result, Arbejdernes Landsbank is the only Danish bank brave enough to stand up and say that there is more to life than money.

Finally thanks to the real heroes who made this possible:

The world’s oldest kitesurfer, Poul; 85 and living richly:

And Signe, on the joy of helping to give 128 Kenyan kids a future:

The campaign launches this Thursday with television spots, outdoor, print, and longer formats of our documentary TVCs available online. More will follow in the coming months. We hope you like it!

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MORE OPTIMISM

14/05 2009 // aaron

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Inspired by The Optimist Conspectus, I pestered a few of my colleagues into telling me what they feel optimistic about:

John Deutschendorf:

Chris Calvert:

Carsten Løvig:

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OPTIMISM

12/05 2009 // aaron

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Here’s a wonderful online project that seems to encapsulate the recent trend towards positivity. The Optimist Conspectus asks readers one simple question: What are you optimistic about?

The results are then made available for all to read, helping to spread positive intentions. In the spirit of this project I am going to be asking some of my colleagues what they are optimistic about and posting their answers here.

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A VISIT TO LEGO HQ

10/05 2009 // aaron

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A few of the guys paid one of their regular trips to LEGO HQ in Billund earlier this week. I’ve been pestering them to take some pictures of the LEGO hotel they stay in and finally they remembered. Embrace the bonkersness:

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FRESH FRIDAY

05/05 2009 // aaron

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Friday seemed like a good day to freshen things up around the agency so we put up a big batch of posters of our recent work. Afterwards, and with the sun shining, it seemed only natural to round off the week with a bowl of lovely ice-cream:

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