HSBC has launched two new spots to support the appreciation of different values and perspectives. They have this to say on their site:

Since last year, HSBC has been communicating its understanding of its customers and the world they live in by recognising their different values. From courage to status and trust, HSBC strives to celebrate the diversity of these values.

HSBC has now created two new TV spots which explore the crucial role that people’s values play in their financial decisions. In ‘Integrity’ and ‘Responsibility’, we go from the celebrity-obsessed arena of the paparazzo to the daily struggle of the fisherman – two worlds which are more alike than you might think.

The ad opens with the line “Responsibility is as important as money”. Through these spots, HSBC is exploring the role of money and values through moral dilemmas. The spots demonstrate that money follows values, not the other way around.

Both ads convey sympathy for the protagonist and this sentiment remains true to the HSBC positioning established years ago (see HSBC retrospective post). These ads still try to broaden our perspectives by letting us into the lives of rare and often misunderstood people, namely the small-scale fisherman and the Paparazzi.

From a Civil Branding perspective, these spots raise an interesting question about the role of money in our lives. Through ads like these, HSBC is moving the conversation away from a Gordon Gekko ‘Greed is Good’ image to one that presents a more balanced world view. Through the propagation of positive moral tales, we can create interesting dialogue and re-frame the narratives of the conventional banks (see previous post). The HSBC brand continues to benefit from deepening the meaning around its brand and making it a brand that speaks about issues which society feels are important.

Read more on the HSBC advertising site.