Credit Suisse: New Global Corporate Advertising Campaign

On November 11, 2009, Credit Suisse launched its new global corporate advertising campaign to communicate its revised brand positioning to clients. The campaign will run for around five weeks before taking a season break. It will be back on air in January and run throughout 2010. At the beginning, the campaign will focus on core media titles print and online such as Neue Zürcher Zeitung, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and the Financial Times. The campaign has been developed together with Credit Suisse's creative advertising agency Euro RSCG London and carries the communication thought "The clients we help to thrive".

The strategy of the campaign is to put the bank's clients' needs and goals at the heart of its communication. Clients aspire not only to have more but to be more. To them, success is multi-faceted and goes beyond pure financial matters. This is why the campaign focuses more about clients and less on the bank. The headline depicts these client stories and answers with 'One Credit Suisse' ('One Bank' in Switzerland) presenting an integrated and holistic offering and pro-active advise as a key differentiator.

Interview with Libby Hills, Credit Suisse's Global Head of Advertising

Libby Hills, Credit Suisse's Global Head of Advertising In Focus: Why is Credit Suisse launching a new corporate advertising campaign? Libby Hills: We developed our previous campaign to reflect the single brand and the integrated bank in 2006. Now, at a time of tremendous change in the industry, it was decided to look at our brand positioning and to ensure that it reflects our strategy and the needs of our clients. This is a large scale effort of which the advertising campaign is just one element– even though to the outside world it is a very visible part.

What does Credit Suisse want to achieve with the campaign? This campaign helps to raise awareness outside Switzerland and to enhance our image and trust in Switzerland. It communicates our differentiated positioning with a strong emphasis on being close to our clients and empowering them to achieve their goals. Corporate advertising targets our Private Banking, Investment Banking and Asset Management audiences alike and at the same time establishes a platform for service and product advertising activities at the divisional level.

In what way is the new campaign different from the old campaign? The new campaign focuses on our clients, and less on the bank and its products. Its focal points are our clients needs, their challenges and goals instead of the bank's expertise or ambition. The photography puts our clients right at the heart of the communication. We focus on the human expression by showing warm and confident people. The headline mechanism tells our client's story in a quick and smart way and always ends with the notion of what "One Credit Suisse" can do for its clients. This reflects how we want to serve our clients: not by purely selling products, but by offering solutions that take more than just financial matters into account. It's all about helping clients thrive.

But hasn't Credit Suisse always focused on its clients? Client focus has always been a core element of our business model and strategy. However, we believe that we must place an even greater emphasis on their needs. What ultimately will differentiate Credit Suisse is the delivery of a consistent premium client experience. To this end, the renewed and sharpened focus on our clients is the basis for a unique and sustainable long-term strategy. Ultimately, helping clients to make smart decisions and fulfill their vision is the most powerful way of fulfilling our own of becoming the world's most admired bank.

How many different motifs will the new campaign work with? We will start with 5 different motifs. But in time their number will grow to reflect the diversity of our clients and the scope of their needs and goals. For this campaign we have commissioned Platon as the photographer. He has an outstanding record with a very distinctive photographic style and has taken portraits of many political leaders and well- known celebrities.