Silicon Valley’s Chris Diamantopoulos raves about how ‘brilliantly boring’ PNC Bank is
Developed by the creative agency Arnold, the ad leverages humor to champion consumers’ desire for stability in an economically volatile world.
PNC Bank, one of the largest financial services providers in the US, has today unveiled a new, “brilliantly boring” brand platform and national ad campaign.
Dubbed ‘Brilliantly Boring Since 1865,’ the multi-million-dollar, multi-channel effort is the first major marketing effort from PNC since the company appointed Arnold, a Havas-owned ad agency, as its creative agency-of-record last June. It comes right ahead of PNC’s 160th anniversary.
Central to the campaign is a 60-second ad entitled ‘Boring is Essential,’ which underscores the fact that PNC keeps banking boring. That’s a good thing, as financial instability becomes ever-present in consumers’ lives. The consistency and stability of so-called boring banking can allow people to enjoy the more interesting parts of life, be it vacation or early retirement.
The star of the ad is Chris Diamantopoulos, an actor best known for his roles in Silicon Valley, The Three Stooges and being the voice of Mickey Mouse. It ends with the brand’s new tagline, ‘Brilliantly Boring since 1865.’
“We are thrilled to unveil our first work for PNC Bank at such a pivotal moment in the organization’s growth as a national leader,” said George Sargent, chief executive of Arnold.
“Arnold is at its best when we are partnering with ambitious clients who want to transcend category expectations – and we believe the brand platform we have created in partnership with the team at PNC does that in spades. The opportunity for ‘Brilliantly Boring’ to serve as both a highly focused value creation engine across audiences and, equally, as a growth driver across PNC’s businesses is infinite.”
Havas Media handled media buying and planning for the campaign, which encapsulates TV, online video, digital, social, audio, out-of-home, print, branch merchandise, sponsorship and experiential activations that will roll out over the course of the year.
Seeking more creative campaigns? Check out our Ad of the Day section and sign up for our Ads of the Week newsletter so you don’t miss a story.