Dublin agency Rothco was behind an unusual and clever campaign for AIB in the UK aimed at shaking up the business banking market by showing owner managed businesses just how important a specialist bank with focussed initiatives can be for their business.
Taking a normal Chiswick dry cleaners and installing hidden cameras, Rothco and AIB (GB) decided to give consumers something to think about by adding another dimension to the business – a fresh meat butchers counter. Transforming the shop overnight, the new meaty laundry service was aptly renamed ‘Clean Cuts’. Shocked, confused and bemused customers were quite expectedly baffled when they arrived the next day to pick up their dry cleaning, only to be met by a butcher selling sausages and steaks alongside their shirts.
According to Rothco, “the two-minute online film seeks to demonstrate that in business, being focussed pays and that the same should apply to your business bank.”
According to Brian Keating, brand director at AIB, “unlike High Street banks, Allied Irish Bank (GB) is a specialist business bank. They’ve been focussed on providing owner-managed businesses with all their banking needs since 1974. Because of this single-minded focus, we devised the ‘Clean Cuts’ stunt as a playful way to highlight these benefits, but also the detriments of confusing business principles – who wants a fresh shirt with eau de sausage?! It’s really a way of getting people to think about how their bank operates. AIB (GB) is solely focussing on delivering the products and services that someone who runs an Owner Managed Business needs.”
The online campaign will be followed up with press, digital and radio campaign in the UK over the coming year according to Rothco.
