Federal Bank's new ads focus on reliable partnerships through a jovial, old couple

Federal Bank has launched a new corporate campaign to tell consumers why it is a trusted and reliable banking partner. Created by Ogilvy & Mather, the campaign features a jolly, old couple that loves each other’s company and looks out for one another all the time.

Speaking about the campaign, Dr. Abraham Koshy, chairman, Federal Bank said, “Federal Bank has now grown into a leading private sector bank with pan-India presence and through the new campaign, the Bank wishes to communicate to the expanded audience what Federal Bank stands for. The corporate campaign is anchored in the consumer insight that the Bank is considered as a warm, reliable and a lucky relationship partner of consumers. We have weaved this insight into the theme for the campaign that resonates well the emotional quotient of a perfect relationship.

Firstbiz spoke to Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather to understand what went behind the creation of this campaign.

He said, “Federal Bank is a well-established brand, with a large national footprint. It is a bank with values; values it aims to take to newer, relevant places where it isn’t that well-known. The campaign stems from Federal Bank’s belief in the philosophy ‘Big strengths come from great partnerships’. "

Piyush also said that the insight was very simple, yet very strong. “It is a human truth that great relationships happen because of caring deeply for the other person. One goes out of one’s way to make the other person comfortable, no matter what. Hence, it made sense to capturing the beautiful, lighter side of a long-term relationship, of a couple who has grown old together,” he said.

Comprising a series of three commercials, the first one, titled ‘Medicine’, opens to an old man stirring a glass of milk. His wife is sitting outside; he says to the viewer, “She finds taking her dose of medicines extremely boring. That is why I mix it in her glass of milk everyday without her knowledge!”

Cut to the scene where his wife is almost choking while sipping on the milk and tells the viewers, “He mixes my medicines with the milk and gives it to me each morning.”

Again, the scene cuts to the old man where he happily proclaims how his wife doesn’t realize that her glass of milk contains medicines.

The woman comes back on screen and discreetly says, “This milk is so bitter, that even a dead person would get up and run around after drinking it! But then, he feels so happy when I drink this that I really don’t have the heart to tell him the truth.”

At this point, the man hears her talking to someone and asks, “Did you say anything?” She says no and says that the milk tastes great! The VO and product window cuts in and says, “_Saathi sahi ho, toh kismat khul jaati hai aur zindagi khil jaati hai” (_Your luck blossoms and life looks up with the right partner).

Watch the TVC here:

The second film ‘Walk’ opens to the same old man speaking to the viewer. He says, “I hate stopping in the middle of my morning walk.”

Cut to his wife shown to be getting ready for the walk. She looks around to ensure her husband is out of earshot and says, “He gets out of breath whenever we go on the morning walk. But he just won’t admit it!”

What follows next are quick cuts alternating between the two. He says that his wife keeps stopping every now and then, while she says that she keeps pausing mid-walk for him, on the pretext of plucking flowers or looking at the sunrise. Cut to the man who exasperatedly says that sometimes she stops just to play with dogs, too. Further, the man says that he doesn’t complain because she loves doing these things on the walk. Cut to the woman who guffaws loudly at her own little ingenious excuses.

Watch the film here:

In ‘Joke’, the last film, the woman is speaking on the phone excitedly saying, “Okay, okay, now listen to my joke!” At this point, the man comes into the frame and tells the viewer, “She has just one favourite joke - the one about Santa and the banana peel.”

The woman begins telling the joke to her friend which goes, “What does Santa look at a banana peel and say?” She waits for an answer from the other side before bursting into laughter and saying, “Oh no! I’ll have to fall down again!” She can barely contain her giggles. The husband, who is in the other room says that she always narrates the same joke and laughs out loud. He admits to laughing along with her, too, just to keep her company. Cut to the scene where the couple is playing cards with some friends, and the woman is narrating the punch line of the same joke again, with the husband laughing the loudest.

Watch the ad here:

Credits

Client:The Federal Bank

Creative Agency:Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai

Executive chairman & Creative Director, South Asia: Piyush Pandey

Creative: Kiran Antony, Rishi Chanana, Jigar Fernandes

President - Mumbai and Kolkata:NavinTalreja

Account Planning:AniruddhaKhandekar, Dilip Garga

Account Management:Asheesh Malhotra, Heval Patel, Feroz Shaikh, ShamikaSalvi

Production House:Corcoise Films

Director:Prasoon Pandey

Producer:Cyrus Pagdiwala