Using humor in advertising is not an obvious thing to do for banks. Most banks prefer a serious approach, perhaps for fear of losing their image of credibility and reliability.

We wonder whether this fear is justified. We also regret the lack of differentiation. With few banks daring to stick out their heads, most of the ads end up looking the same.

Lighthearted
Wouldn’t it be possible for banks to be humorous and lighthearted while still being taken seriously? Take a look at the following ad from FirstBank.

“Find the sousaphoe to win free checking”

Using a funny and refreshing campaign – such as this one – banks can still get their point across, unless the purpose of the campaign is to establish their position. Take for instance the hilarious commercials used by the Ally Bank.

In their videos, they allow kids to play with their toys but then impose ridiculous terms and conditions which, they imply, are analogous to the terms and conditions used by some banks.

You can see the disappointment on the kids’ faces when their RC truck is taken away because they’ve exceeded their limited time of use, or when they can only use their bike in the designated 20 square feet area. The message is, of course, that banks should refrain from treating their customers this way.

What do you think? Do banks that use funny ads make fools of themselves? Should they focus on the content of their message or should they think outside the box when creating visuals and a language for their commercial campaigns? Let us know what you think.