Saatchi & Saatchi Group in Poland has created a new advertising campaign for BNP Paribas Fortis, the first to be based on a new 360° communication strategy.  All units of the Group were involved in creative work on this project.

Campaign execution was divided into two stages; the first stage includes image activities introducing the bank’s new brand on Polish market, while the second will focus on a supporting deposit offer.

The campaign targets people who want to save their money in a bank that provides investment safety and lucrative profit at the same time, and who aspire to worldwide-known brands with a good reputation. The main message of the campaign is that BNP Paribas Fortis offers profit with a guarantee of safety, through affiliation with an international financial group which is the biggest financial institution in the euro zone in terms of deposits.

“While working on the campaign, on one hand we wanted to communicate the deposit offer in a clear way, and on the other to start a process of building a unique and attractive brand image of a new consumer brand,” says Krzysztof Bialkowski, Senior Strategic Planner in Saatchi & Saatchi Think Tank.

“This is why we decided to link the message with BNP Paribas’ European heritage, which should make the brand more credible in consumers’ minds and at the same time become a distinguishing feature on a Polish banking market dominated by local banking brands.”

The image campaign focuses on information about the merging of Fortis Bank and Dominet Bank and the affiliation to the international financing group BNP Paribas, which proves the investment safety. The campaign is executed through press and BTL materials (posters and leaflets in bank divisions).  Saatchi & Saatchi Digital has also prepared a campaign website where the clients can learn more about the financial group and take part in a contest.

The concept for the second stage of the campaign, promoting the deposit offer, is based on showing satisfied BNP Paribas customers from other European countries. European testimonials are a kind of a guarantee for Polish clients that they can expect a profit on a satisfying level. The campaign draws on both ATL (30” and 15” TVCs, press layouts, OOH and animations displayed on buildings) and BTL (posters in bank divisions, layouts of bank windows, stickers and leaflets), as well as an online campaign and product landing page.

The creative task here was to combine the image elements of the new brand with the product message,” says Jacek Praszalek, Senior Copywriter at Saatchi & Saatchi Communications.  

“This is why we have Europeans talking about the BNP Paribas savings account, as they have known the institution for years and used its services. In this way the message moves from bank credibility directly to the deposit offer launched on our market. Its attractiveness is emphasized in a humorous way by the spontaneous reactions of our neighbours on hearing the interest rates of BNP Paribas Fortis deposit in Poland.”

Sarah Temple, SVP Social Marketing Practice, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, has been named the 2009 "Washington PR Woman of the Year" by Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) at its awards ceremony.

Each year, WWPR presents an award to a senior level Washington area female PR practitioner as a means to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of PR women and expand awareness of contributions to the industry. This year's luncheon marked the 20th anniversary of the PR Woman of the Year (WOY) event.

Temple was selected from a panel of judges who nominated three final honorees based on their exceptional leadership and integrity to their fields as well as their community involvement. The two other honorees were Jody Arlington, Managing Partner, PR Collaborative and Director, Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance and Kirsten Suto Seckler, Director of Global Brand Marketing and Awareness, Special Olympics.

"Each of the honorees deserves recognition for far exceeding standards within the public relations profession," said Lauren Lawson, president of Washington Women in Public Relations.

"Sarah Temple was selected as the 2009 PR Woman of the Year for setting the benchmark in terms of her strategic communications planning, partnership development and social responsibility programming."

Temple's 18 years of experience includes spearheading the award-winning National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) "The Heart Truth" campaign, raising awareness about heart disease in women, as its project director. Currently, she advises NHLBI on community and corporate partner outreach across all its social marketing campaigns. She also directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Screen for Life's campaign including its partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation/Stand Up 2 Cancer.

The event also featured a keynote by Dana Bash, CNN's senior congressional correspondent, responsible for covering the activities of both the U.S. House and Senate. A raffle was held to benefit WWPR's pro bono client, the Children's Law Center, the leading civil legal services provider in the District and the only organization that provides comprehensive free legal representation specifically for children who have been abused and neglected, have special education or health care needs.

A list of previous recipients of this distinguished award is available here.