Sunday, August 17, 2008

Bendigo Bank ad drops the 'C' word

I'm so very glad to see that it's not just me who thinks that the Bendigo Bank's latest ad is sending out a not so subtle message about how the community perceives your average financial institution.

Like myself, the good people at Crikeymedia couldn't help but notice that when the assembled characters in its ad come together, each bearing a different letter from the word COMMUNITY, the three letters in the background stand out from the rest - C_NT. Yes, the most wicked C word of them all.

That's all well and good, but the missing 'U' is being carried in the form of a balloon by a small girl, who is lifted into the heavens as the ad disolves into the Bendigo Bank logo, with the U rising up alongside it.

The first time I saw the ad I turned to my wife to ask the question, only to find her doing likewise and nodding with a bemused, wide-eyed smile. This morning a colleague wandered past my desk and asked if I'd seen the ad - 'yes, and yes' I replied immediately.

All I can think is that Bendigo Bank is using this not so subliminal message to tell us that while we're a part of your community, the bigger banks are just c**ts.

Hats off I say. As long as the nine-year-old doesn't turn to me in the break between Olympics action and ask 'Daddy, doesn't that spell c**t?' then why not.

I would have thought maybe a series of ads featuring different swear words might have been the go - start with a fart, build up to a shit, throw down the gauntlet with a f**k and then ram home the message with a c**t.

But then I'm not in advertising...

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cookster, pure gold... that is SO wrong in so many ways :-)

Anonymous said...

Yes! I see it!

tim said...

Finally some truth in advertising.

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen this version before! It does look dodgy. I am sure if we paid more attention to ads we could find a lot more things like this.

Anonymous said...

It's certainly something I'd like to make a deposit in... the ad works!!!

Anonymous said...

It's kind of there. Looks like they wanted to allude to it.

Cookster said...

Allude dude? No way, it's there!

Anonymous said...

John, your such a picky little c...

Cookster said...

@anonymous (Bobeye) - how many times have I told you that it's 'you're such a pick little c' as opposed to 'your'? Sheesh!

Anonymous said...

**Doh!**

Cookster said...

Bobeye you should have noticed I made the error of spelling prick 'pick' - and pulled me up on it. Not a detail man are you?

Anonymous said...

**Doh!, Doh!, Doh!**

Anonymous said...

It was 'picky' in any case.

Anonymous said...

I liked the ad very much. It makes me laugh.

Bendigo Bank Internet Banking said...

This is hilarious. I only wish more people did things like this, and that it was considered culturally acceptable to do so. Disney movies have a few little things like this, but they're pointless with no message.