Nov 30, 2005 02:31 PM
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(Updated Nov 30, 2005 02:31 PM)
Well, well, well, finally State Bank of India is betting on advertising for image boosting. Though India’s largest bank (in terms of deposits) doesn’t need this fanfare, the pressure of competition from the so-called new generation banks, ICICI Bank being the major threat, would have been the reason why the shy SBI went in for a revamp of its media plan. But the decisive factor in winning the race in banking is not the ads but the treatment of CUSTOMER AS THE KING, to put it with out jargon. The ground reality, however, is that many local and small banks and some foreign banks fare a good lot better in terms of customer service…means they make a visit to the bank a pleasure and not a nightmare.
The ads might look good on print. However, the TVC’s gives you a giggle the first time, the next time you really wonder what went wrong. It could be the other way also. For example, I never noticed the fact that the man is wearing a colorful shots to office because he lost the bet. I had to keenly watch the commercial at least 2 times to spot the humor.
There is nothing eye /ear catching in the ads. To start with, all the four ads look greyish. For example the Chaman Lal Charlie, the executive in shorts and the waxing guy all are visualized in drab colors. The Papad rolling hubby is a breather. There is neither jingle, nor are there any catching lines in any of the ads. Moreover, the dialogues sound broken in all ads, the executive being too soft to hear. Once you notice the forced humor, the next time you don’t bother to watch it again.
The ads look as if they are targeted only at the young urban crowd. Why did they forget the elderly people, the students, the housewives and the rest of the population? There is a complete disregard for the rural areas, which SBI as a PSB should have given a glance.
The basic theme of the ads is a lead losing the bet on an SBI FAQ. Let me list them and analyze….
Chiman Lal Charlie: Angry Mohan did not know that the bank has the maximum number of ATM’s in the country and so lost the bet in office and got named Chiman Lal Charlie. He proclaims his disgrace by yelling on top of his voice.
Executive in Shorts: The executive was unaware that the bank gives car loans on road price. He lost the bet and had to come to office wearing colorful shorts. He tells his folly to the “I don’t care” lift operator.
Pappad rolling hubby: The Husband rolls out pappad under the watchful eye of the Wife. He complaints to the inquisitive Friend of not knowing that SBI housing loans include the cost of the house + furniture etc because of which he lost the bet.
Waxing Guy: A guy goes to the next-door beauty specialist to get the hairs on his legs waxed off. He narrates his woes to the surprised girl in the neighboring seat, while the Friend sits by his side. Apparently he lost the bet because of his ignorance on weekend banking at SBI.
The fact that the bank has maximum number of ATM’s remains just a fact. When a customer can use his VISA card in all shared networks I wonder what is the relevance of this fact. The bank can reduce cost on boarding the shared network wagon. The executive in shorts and the pappad-rolling hubby testifies the bank’s failure in getting the facts across to the customers through other promotion media. Finally, the weekend banking takes place only in select branches.
While the bank boasts on weekend banking, I would advise them to better manage their day-to-day banking. Just two weeks back, I was in a SBI branch with my friend (you need to visit the bank once in a while to have the banking experience) to take a demand draft. We waited more than 45 minutes to secure one, that too on a no-rush day. We stood witness to an elderly customer snapping off at an employee because they couldn’t issue him an update on his account. (The computer was hung) He tried his patience for 15 minutes and then exploded. The employee couldn’t even give a consoling smile!!!
The final comment on the SBI ads is that they make the bank look drabber than before. The catchy jingles of ICICI and now IDBI reminds the customer of the bank. At least that much consolation for the customer.
