Two outdoor campaigns here in Seattle have recently grabbed my attention. Just about every Metro bus I see is plastered with one or the other. One of the campaigns is fantastic. The other one sucks. What are they? Chase and the State of Montana. Chase, which took over WAMU, a bank I was sort of fond of (if you can say that about a bank) before I learned how thoroughly screwed up they were, has lined the city with bus sides and outdoor boards introducing themselves to people like me. Unfortunately, they talk to me like I’m an idiot. First, they tell me my old bank wasn’t very good, “better banking is here,” they say. Well, I kind of liked WAMU, and Chase hasn’t given me Reason One to think they are better. Chase should have done a little research before trashing the experience I know to be true. Second, it’s hard to imagine Chase could make it any more obvious they aren’t from around here. Consider this headline: “Seattle: Land of coffee, seafood, and now helpful banking.” Or this headline: “Better Banking is here. And the weather seems to be clearing up already.” Not very insightful for a company to say “Hey Seattle!” and then mention coffee, seafood and the weather. Interestingly, they’ve continued to run the “clearing weather” ad despite the fact the autumn rains have begun. I was happy (enough) with my bank. I’m very unhappy to be talked to like this by Chase. Meanwhile, Montana’s office of tourism has been running a brilliantly simple campaign—no headline, no logo, just one strong photo and a URL. The images make me want to go to Montana, the URL tells me how to get more information. They’ve presented a clear, compelling message—fast—which is exactly what outdoor campaign should do.
