Can you briefly introduce yourselves?

Tanja Bom, Head of External Communications & Media at ABN AMRO and Astrid Witteveen, Advertising Specialist Business Market at ABN AMRO.

What is the background of your most recent commercial? (Image banking)

Our customers need personal contact with the bank, especially at this time. Entrepreneurs want a sparring partner, someone who understands the challenges they are currently facing and can help them further.

What was the main goal you wanted to achieve with this campaign and commercial?

We want to let entrepreneurs know that we want to think along with them about the future of their company. Whether that concerns short-term help or a future-proof business plan. The Image Banking channel is particularly suitable for this. In this way we can provide entrepreneurs with expert advice at a time that suits them best. Because Image Banking is done remotely, it is efficient and safe.

To what extent does this commercial fit into your communication?

Our commercials always revolve around a main character, who is the voice of our customer. In this case the entrepreneur. This commercial therefore fits seamlessly with all other commercials that we have developed within this format since 2017. In this commercial we see our main character having an Image Banker conversation with his advisor. Our customers almost always only do this because specific/financial information is exchanged. That is why we focus on the conversation between the entrepreneur and the advisor and do not introduce other people.

Have you noticed that Image Banking has grown in use since the crisis?

Certainly. This applies not only to our business customers, but also to our Retail and Private Banking customers. The channel is not only becoming better known, but more importantly, customers experience it as very pleasant, efficient and personal.

How do you see the future of banking: What will change?

If you look at our services, such as Image Banking, we see digitization increasing further. Just like with other services, customers want to use online convenience where possible. At the same time, personal contact remains extremely important for important financial decisions. That was the case, is the case now and will remain the case in the future.

To what extent are TV commercials/advertising on TV important to ABN AMRO?

For us, commercials are still an important way to reach our target group and to be present with our brand in the media landscape. But it is mainly about the combination of different channels that ensure a successful campaign. We therefore always use multiple channels and medium types to be present where our target group is. The commercial was therefore shown not only on TV, but also on various online channels. Furthermore, this broader campaign also consists of the use of radio, podcast, online video, display/social advertising and our own channels.

What is the importance of (pre-)testing commercials and other marketing communications for you and (how) do you do this?

This is an integral part of our working method to develop good communication. The voice of our target group, both customers and non-customers, is very important to maximize the success rate of communication. Consider concept research or pre-testing of TV & Radio commercials.

We do pre-tests not only for advertising campaigns, but also for content and 1-on-1 customer communication, for example.

Within each new campaign, our advertising format is also optimized based on research, so that we can continue to move with current customer needs and sentiment. Look at the current Corona time, everything changes very quickly. For example, we adjusted this commercial during the campaign when the second lockdown was announced. We anticipated this in advance with the agency so that we could switch quickly and also show our target group that we understand what is going on in society and in their company.

What do you think are the biggest trends in marketing at the moment?

What we are moving towards at ABN AMRO is a combination of content and advertising. We always start from the customer's needs, or relevant topics that play a role in society. We also get this from research.

By putting content at the center of a campaign, we make the knowledge and expertise we have in-house accessible to everyone. You do not have to be a customer or purchase a product for this. We see that this is greatly appreciated and very valuable when people make important financial choices.

Who contributed to this commercial? (credits)

We developed this commercial with our agency N=5 as part of the broader communication campaign. Tobias Pekelharing is the permanent director (HolyFools) for our commercials.