Were already part of a cultural difference

"BNPParibas ready 8.5 euros for SMEs...", "The Postal Bank help the autoentrepreneurs". "For the euro only, popular banks help youth to good start in life"... It is: banks returned to Earth and - Bercy pressure requires-have decided to communicate on topics well tangible, such as "I am a banker in the real economy", "close to my clients and helping them lending"... Clearly, "a professional obliged to again prove my worth on my core business," explains Nicolas Bordas, President of TBWA France and the Association of agencies-advice in communication (AACC), which identifies almost "an attitude of Atonement".

Quite logically, in their vast majority, accompanied by increasing advertising investments in the sector (see graphics) have this resumption of floor. It was time! Because when they are rethinking the months, Bank officials still feel chills. After the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the Madoff scandal, several media with gable on street posed as evidence the fact that the excessive financialisation of the banking sector had resulted in an unprecedented crisis, whose clients were the first victims. An example "The Express" grading, the last 12février: "bankers: shame." "Their seven capital sins."

Absence of mea culpa

Facing this breaking media, there was little, for months, in terms of communication. Bankers singing and dancing on the table for the behaviour inch of Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, communication enchanted with Cinderella and snow white to the Banques Populaires, not to mention all the bankers swearing, hand on heart, that their keenest desire was "to help their clients to complete their projetset accompany them life"... While the daily press peppered articles on restrictions on credits penalizing SMEs and SMIs. "In décembre2008, it continued to be in a communication very allegorical, dream, featuring a"happy relationship"with the banker", notes Jean-Christophe Alquier, President Harrison & Wolf, a subsidiary of the TBWA Group France, head of the Société Générale corporate budget. And nothing, in advertising spots, which closely resembles or to "a mea culpa, a way to say that we must make our profession otherwise", j. Marc-Antoine Jarry, Director of strategic planning at Ogilvy, the Caisses d'Epargne budget Agency.

Denial Cynicism A believe that banks never had heard of crisis communication. Any more than the possibility to meet to implement collective communication.

Nevertheless, the facts are stubborn: last Image barometer carried out by the Agency Posternak-Margerie evokes an image index fell 45, in octobre2006, 5 in mi-31st. Claude Posternak, President of the Agency, said the growing polarization that emerges between a "mutualist pole" and a "pole of conventional commercial agencies. The first would include Caisses d'Epargne, Crédit Mutuel, the Banques Populaires and Credit Agricole. It would benefit from a positive image "because consumers have the sensation that it is not subservient to the market...." While the second, covering the Société Générale, BNPParibas and LCL, would be associated with capitalism, potentially destructive value.

Posternak-Margerie is not only to uncheck arrows. For its part, TNSMedia Intelligence has published the last 7décembre a study on the communication from the sector, by starting on a fierce note: "Difficult for the banks and insurance to find a suitable communication." Decried, held responsible for the crisis, this sector is trying to renew his speech to regain the confidence of consumers .... "An excessive analysis "Not quite, is Marc - Antoine Jarry (Ogilvy)." Were already part of a cultural difference. Historically, the man in the street, the bankers are people who make money with their money, but not create value for them. This presupposition and the attacks of the media in recent months, it is also clear that communication, the banks have fled in an inadvertent denial on the theme "business as usual" attitude: "We continue to do our job." But this attitude has created a chasm with the great public.

New alternative operators

Hence today, finally, the Rejoinder of the sector that everyone expected, although some can discerned a "cosmetic" intended primarily to satisfy the political Bercy liking. Advertising response deploying then on a plan both macro and micro, according to Gilles Masson, President of MCSaatchi GAD and head of the Banque Postale budget: "suddenly, we saw flourish, especially among BNPParibas, speeches focused on assistance to SMEs and individuals, in the light:"We will show that we are responsible and active."." While at the same time, on a plan more micro, banks never did so in front people, whether employees or clients, including at ING and Société Générale. "The latter, with its campaign"to help Rose", has adopted a speech at the limit of the humanitarian."

But this game, where the image banks suffered badly, not to will not reveal negative for everyone: "exactly as we had seen alternative operators, such as Bebop or Egg, take the floor at the time of the first Internet bubble to forward their competitive with conventional actors benefits, intervenes Marc-Antoine Jarry (Ogilvy), we discover new operators alternative as BinckBank or ING opportunity to attack the figure of the traditional banker and noted their". "difference."A Stinger that could push the banks to go even further, both in the speech of evidence and client in the modernization of their relationship.