odd advertising

Acrylic-bob · 06-03-2006, 19:51

Watching TV the other day I saw two adverts for Barclays Bank which, sort of, made me wonder what sort of message they were trying to convey.

Both seem to involve what Barclays apparently consider to be innovative banking ideas and the people who develop them.

Without exception, their development teams are portrayed as complete and utter idiots with one clown apparently feverishly working in the office, after everyone has gone home, to simply come up with the groundbreaking idea that it might be a crowd puller if they paid their customers more in interest on their savings.

While this idea is no doubt a breath of fresh air and something of a sea change for Barclays, whose rapaciousness is legendary, the question remains, why do they have to portray their workers as idiots? And, what is more worrying, why do they believe that the public is more likley to trust a financial organisation which chooses to staff its offices with people who you would not trust to sit the right way round on a lavatory?

chav1 · 06-03-2006, 22:37

barclays next brainwave is to have public hangings for people who stand in ques only to transfer money from one account to their other account and then ask for balances on both accounts then draw money from a third account then realise they have transfered too much from the first account so the then transfer some funds back to the account and then finaly ask for a balance of all 3 accounts .

SPUGGIE J · 06-03-2006, 22:41

I gave up on what message banks convey I just wonder how many poor sods have been ripped of for them to make the amount of money they do.

WillowTheWhisp · 06-03-2006, 22:43

I used to work in one and I never understood the mentality even then.

garinda · 06-03-2006, 22:52

I think most people that work in the lucrative world of advertising are moronic, or think we are.

Still doesn't explain why Barclays chose to commission such a stupid advert though.

chav1 · 06-03-2006, 22:58

dont be too harsh here guys , isnt it barclays who have ENGLISH speaking people on their phones..?

garinda · 06-03-2006, 23:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by chav1

dont be too harsh here guys , isnt it barclays who have ENGLISH speaking people on their phones..?

Yeah with a three second delay, as you try to find out from Mumbai what the phone number is for the branch in Accy.

entwisi · 06-03-2006, 23:10

I worked for 7 years for Barclays firstly on their call centres and then on their IT side. I still work on behalf of them but was outsourced to a global It shop. This means I have probably more info and insight into what they do than most people.

In some ways I feel sorry for them. a few years ago they spent a deal of cash employing famous actors to do their adverts and were pulled to pieces for paying that sum. Then they try to give the feeling that their staff are trying their best to come up with a groundbreaking deal and you take teh pi$$. We all know that deals are made at board level. lets be honest, do you make a choice on where your money lies based on what yuo see on the tele or by the experience of the staff when you go into the branch.

When I was staff I had to have a staff account. That was mandatory, now I'm no longer staff I can choose to move it if I want. Do I?

No. I've banked with Nat West and TSB and never had any better service. Barclays call centres (should I use one) are based in Coventry, Salford and Newcastle. The Internet Banking is developed by lads(and lasses) I go to lunch with. Yes we have offshore staff, mainly in testing and some core run facilty but they are a minority and have all spent time being trained by UK staff who have guarantees of no redundancy thorugh offshoring.

So, good adverts or not, I'll stick with them thanks......

garinda · 06-03-2006, 23:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

do you make a choice on where your money lies based on what yuo see on the tele

No, does anybody?

'Oh look Bernard, it's that nice smiley man Howard, singing and dancing, let's move our mortgage to the Halifax.'

NOT.

bad breath brown · 06-03-2006, 23:44

an excellent bank that i would recommend to all. have banked with them 30 years.

harwood red · 06-03-2006, 23:55

I have to say that First Direct is the best bank that I have ever been with. All their call centres are british based and the phone is answered by a person 24 hours a day and no automated system at all

WillowTheWhisp · 07-03-2006, 10:54

I like Barcalys approach to the disappearing pen phenomenon.

SPUGGIE J · 07-03-2006, 10:59

Regardless of the adverts for a bank or building society you should pick whats best for you and your moneytaking all factors into account not just the adverts and short term promo's.

entwisi · 07-03-2006, 11:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I like Barcalys approach to the disappearing pen phenomenon.

Are you talking about the unchain my pen?Or as it was put "How can we expect you to trust us with your life savings if we don't trust you with our pens" approach

WillowTheWhisp · 07-03-2006, 12:37

Yes that's the one. Nice pens too. I mean they actually work which beats some of the chained down ones without refills.