Tick-tock. Tick-tock. The time is ticking for Great Britain, which is due to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019. In this context and with the ‘exit day’ just around the corner, one of the largest banking and financial services organizations in the world, HSBC UK, expressed its internationalist perspective regarding Brexit in an unexpected way.
The creative statement is a part of the bank’s latest brand image move, which introduces its new global tagline “Together We Thrive”. To promote the motto that faithfully reflects HSBC’s long-term commitment to helping people, businesses, and communities in the UK to develop and prosper inside and beyond the borders of the country, the bank created the “Global Citizen” campaign, an initiative centered around a one-minute-long video that sums up the bank’s core values pretty well.
What makes this campaign admirable is that the film, a JWT London production, doesn’t refer to Brexit directly. Rather, the storyline and the manner in which the events unfold suggest that, although it will no longer be a member of EU soon, the UK won’t lose its European influence, nor it will lose any points within the global community.
Comedian Richard Ayoade, known for the socially awkward role he plays in the hilarious IT Crowd sitcom, takes upon the daily cosmopolitan aspects of a common British resident. He starts his day with a Colombian brew, drives a German car, and rides a Taiwanese bike. He entertains himself by watching American movies on Korean tablets and expresses his admiration for Argentinean or Brazilian football players. Some of his best friends are Siberian, Mexican and, of course, French.
He lives in a country that lies alone in an ocean. But despite the geographical barriers that set Great Britain’s territory apart from Europe’s mainland, he explains that he doesn’t feel alone. Instead, he believes that he and other British residents are the subjects of “something far bigger” than just of a piece of “land in the middle of the sea.”
HSBC included a lot of foreign visual references within its ad to show that, despite its British origins, its services expand globally, having succeeded in connecting the world through trade for more than a century and a half.
“Our latest global marketing campaign explores how HSBC helps people prosper in the 21st century. HSBC’s iconic red and white hexagon plays a central role. It becomes a lens through which to look at the world, showing how the influence of the bank can help individuals, businesses, and communities to grow and flourish,” claims HSBC on their website.
But as you analyze the campaign, you will notice that although it addresses a political subject, the film keeps an apolitical tone. The bank doesn’t cheer for Brexit, nor it cries over the fate of Great Britain. It doesn’t take sides. In fact, the company used Brexit as a good opportunity to let people know that, regardless of policy or referendums, its services are crafted for everyone, be they national or international clients. And we think that this is a respectable approach.
HSBC’s mission to help people prosper is also supported by a 10-second TV spot, print, outdoor, social and digital executions. Moreover, the additional content promotes not only the bank’s services but also its partnerships with The Princes Trust, its sponsorship of British Cycling, and its £10 billion Small Business Fund to help SMEs. Well done, HSBC!