I noticed this week that the big financial group Citi has launched a new campaign. It’s actually quite well done on many fronts (I saw it first in a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal; however, you can see an on-line version at www.citi.com/letsgetitdone).
The tagline is “let’s get it done.” The premise: Dreams are good (now, visualize the Citi red rainbow-like arc connecting to…) Realities are better. Then they go on to explain that, if this were the day you were to go ahead with one of your dream goals, Citi has all the resources to help you “get it done.”
What I like about this campaign – a lot – is that it focuses on ME, the potential user of financial services. It is aspirational. It taps into dreams, visions, possibilities. And it ends up with a concrete challenge – all right, let’s do something about it. Together.
I’d give the whole thrust of the approach an “A” grade. However, the one thing that I’m not sure “gets it done” is the tagline. Why? Well, at least 2 reasons come to mind:
1. It’s very general. You cannot see this tagline attached to the Citi brand and “get it” without really digesting the entire campaign message. It doesn’t stand intuitively on its own as something that speaks to the observer about “financial services.”
2. It feels, at the gut level, too much like Home Depot’s tagline. “You can do it. We can help.” (now that tagline intuitively attaches to what Home Depot is all about – I don’t need an explanation). I don’t think Citi wants to position itself as a company that somehow mirrors Home Depot.
Maybe it will grow on me. It does have the virtue of decisive simplicity. What do you think? What other brands come to mind that have a very natural, intuitive, effective tagline attached to them (no further explanation needed)? What brands have adopted taglines that require you to go through mental contortions to find the attachment? Put your best thoughts in the Comments – let’s get it done!
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The campaign leaves me a little flat Steve. The imagery is un-inspiring – geese going south is the end of a cycle not the beginning. (I suppose you could argue that the geese are coming north, but as far as advertising imagery goes, geese coming north in formation are never really used.)
Using Citi’s red icon is unimaginative. Let’s get it done sounds like a fulfilling a task to get it behind you. It’s so easy to criticize I suppose, but there is nothing in the ad shown that separates Citi’s offering. You could throw anybodys logo on there – why should we choose Citi?
I’m with Ed.
Even though it’s very simple. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Usually, I like ads from banks. Maybe I’m not in their target market or maybe, instead of relishing their promise of getting things done, I’ve come to expect it from banks.
I’d have to say banks have a tough job though, their customer bases are pretty diverse, so it’d be difficult to come up with ideas…
Actually, scratch that – I just visited the site. It’s much more engaging when you see the animation and the story they develop behind the tagline.
See what you think of their website Ed…
Actually, I think their copy point, “Today is someday,” would make a stronger tagline than “Let’s get it done.” That sounds an awfully lot like an itteration of “Just do it.”
You know Robert, I still don’t get the geese. A nice movie, but the message is the same for any investment company, insurance and financial institution. There is no compelling reason explaining why I should consider Citi to get me to my goal.
If I saw the ad in the marketplace, it just doesn’t intrigue me enough to visit their website once I sat myself in front of a computer. As a matter of fact the ad doesn’t even drive the reader to their site.
I’m afraid it still leaves me flat. I like how ING Direct markets themselves as an alternative to traditional banking. I’m intrigued enough to check them out.
Ed,
I agree with you about ING – they do have a differentiator that is more tangible (and I do have an account with them!)
I think you’ve actually tapped into the main point. There isn’t a rational reason why Citi, as opposed to some other financial institution, should be considered superior. So they are tapping into something more powerful – emotions and aspirations. They are targeting MY dreams, while their brand is painted as a backdrop. Sure, I could use Chase or somebody else just as well – but Citi brought up the subject, and addressed it in visceral (not purely logical) terms.
First to market, you make a good point Steve. I bow to you.
To me it sounds like they’re getting on the “Get ‘er done” train, trying to get a piece of the war-machine action. “Get ‘er done” is a big slogan among the military, now becoming very popular with the general population in light of all of America’s war activity. So to me, it seems like an easy way out. I like Gail’s comment about “Today is someday” being a better tagline. I completely agree.