This recent spot is another example of how banks are looking to re-frame their narrative post crisis (see previous post on re-framing banks). Ally is GMAC’s new internet bank offer in America. These cute spots work to establish ‘truth’ as a central tenant of their brand.

Truth is an often attempted, seldom achieved story for brands to tell. Those that tell the story in an authentic manner have usually had truth as a guiding value in the culture since the beginning. As anyone can appreciate, truth is not an ancillary concept that can be stapled onto a brand easily. Truth in action is a foundational value that affects the behaviour of the company in profound ways.

It’s a very desirable state of being for customers who want an honest company to trade with and who want to have a ‘pure’ brand image reflected in their decision to purchase. See previous post on ‘The truth will set you free‘. Brands like IKEA and Innocent lead the pack – although in very different ways.

This allure to the notion of truth is why so many brands now embrace openness, simplicity and straightforward values in their brand statements. So much so, that as an agency, we often recommend that these values are generic to the category and should not be included in the brand platform as a source of differentiation.

The Great Recession has presented an opportunity for challenger brands like Ally, Virgin, building societies, Islamic banks and co-ops to redefine what banks can mean for customers in ethical and social spheres.