Barbara returns for ANZ
ANZ’s Barbara the Bank Manager has returned, this time being unhelpful with a couple looking for a home loan.
The campaign comes from M&C Saatchi and breaks on Sunday.
The TV ads will be supported by outdoor, press and online advertising, and an in-branch campaign.
Hilarious. Brilliant. Blows the Commonwealth stuff away.
I wouldn’t say it blows the comm bank stuff away. This ad is good, until the cheeseball over acting woman jumps out of the car. Then I forget about all the funny parts and I’m reminded that this is a bank ad.
Have always loved these ANZ creatives. However, after several experiences recently where my dealings with my ANZ bank manager were exactly like dealing with Barbara (except he said everything with a smile on his face), these ads now just erk me. Good demonstration that if you do not live up to your marketing, it can backfire big time. Poll of 1 of course!
Much better than that CBA rubbish! I think they execute it well! If anything, at least one part of that ad portrays what the bank service is like. Which one is the question? Either way, funny, clever and engaging. Now all they need is slow-motion, black & white employee’s running through the white picket fence to catch them when they fall! Too much? Too pathetic.
Liked the Barbara ad’s….however this is 1 ad too many and lacks the humour the previous executions had.
Gotta love the over acting at the end…
Or the Westpac ads that say “We’re factor 50+” or “We’re a snuggly jumper on a rainy day”. No they’re not – they’re a pack of tight-fisted, mean-spirited, faceless, money-grabbing a-holes who wouldn’t know or care about customer service if you painted it red and drove it through the bank window. And yes, I have a mortgage with said bank.
Is anyone thick enough to really believe that any of these banks have OUR best interests at heart? Clearly our fees are being spent wisely.
I’m guessing the couple can work out the woman’s from ANZ based on the fact she’s parked her ANZ branded car in their driveway in response to their request for her to visit them at home at a specific time.
On this basis, I’d hazard a guess her opening remark would be “Hi I’m Jane..” rather than “Hi I’m from ANZ..”
Barbara, you saucy old minx you….
The honey moon is not over.
I still love Barbara!
Not sure they’ve got much to say here… The other ads in the series seemed to be centered around some sort of benefit of being with ANZ, and were quite pointed. This one is just a bit of vague category bashing.
The theme still works well enough. I agree re the “Hi I’m from ANZ” line, it jolts the viewer out of any comedy and make me think “yeah, thanks…your car told me that much already”
I agree with the above. The “Hi I’m from ANZ” line makes you think that the bank thinks you’re too stupid to read the branding on the side of the car. Apart from the ending the ad was okay.
Barbara is OK, but I can’t help but feel it’s a straw-man situation.
Comparing yourself to farcical situations that just don’t happen in the real world is like coming second best to your own imagination.
Another bank should do an ad where ‘Barbara’ is seen banking at their bank and use ANZ’s power against them. Now that would have impact
The comments above about the marketing promise of these sorts of ads vs the reality reminds me of the following quote
“Marketing sets the expectation, marketing creates demand, marketing helps a consumer differentiate why one choice is better than another choice.
Operations delivers.
Any gap between the two drives a conversation on the social Web.”
Sums up why social media will take us all “beyond advertising”.
See more at http://um.tl/beyond
Andrew Grill, London (in Sydney 19 July – 3 August)
@andrewgrill
i love the old ones. New one is over acted and not as funny.
wala wala wala wala wincha!
i love the Barbra character, but unfortunately I am starting to associate her with ANZ, and not “the rest of banking world”
These ads are super successful if ANZ want to be known for shite service and Barbara the bank manager. Disasterous.
I so much like ANZ Advertisment with tthat lady Barbara,it reminds me so much of my country
Brilliant campaign.
Ro please explain again what you mean by this brilliance: “Barbara is OK, but I can’t help but feel it’s a straw-man situation.
Comparing yourself to farcical situations that just don’t happen in the real world is like coming second best to your own imagination.”
You’ve lost me.
The first ad was brilliant..this one just missed the point and it’s clear the agency/client have got carried away with their own success and forgotten the insights they were working with.
Barbara was meant to represent a bank that was clueless about the good things in life and represented inflexible bank practices. The 2nd ad just shows here as being mean and rude in an attempt at humour. way off the mark in my mind.