Signs of Love: What did this bank do to show its commitment to push for an #EqualFuture for ALL?
Guerrilla Marketing is an unconventional marketing tactic. According to Jay Conrad Levinson, this strategy works because it’s engaging, easy to execute, and sometimes, inexpensive. Campaigns of this type make a huge impact and easily stick to consumers’ minds. For today’s article, let’s focus on a colorful, inclusive, and heartwarming campaign. Keep reading to know how one banking company encouraged inclusivity in Australia and delivered its message of hope for an equal future for all in 2019.
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Signs of Love: What did this bank do to show its commitment to push for an #EqualFuture for ALL? The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) is a multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. It is Australia’s second largest bank by assets and fourth largest bank by market capitalization. As one of the “Big Four Australian Banks” alongside Commonwealth Bank, NAB, and Westpac, ANZ’s goal is to “shape a world where people are equal and communities thrive.” … and by “equal,” the company means its services cover EVERYONE, regardless of their status, age, race, gender, beliefs, etc. One of the ways the bank communicates that message? Through Guerrilla Marketing… Promoting a Community Where Everyone Feels Safe to be Themselves One of the themes of ANZ’s operations in 2019 is #EqualFuture. During that time, the main message of the company was to provide equal opportunities for all its target audience through various banking products and services. However, for the company, communicating this message was a bit challenging because whenever people heard the word, “bank,” some of the images that came to their minds were:
… and anything else related to wealth. In other words, some consumers found it hard to imagine ANZ’s #EqualFuture because they thought banks were only for people with lots of money. That’s why the company had to think of a way to effectively illustrate its message and convince people of its aim for equality and inclusivity. How? Through the LGBTQIA+ community!
According to a study in 2019, 84% of LGBTQIA+ Australians believe there are still parts in the country where they feel unsafe. Despite the long-running Mardi Gras Festival that takes place in Sydney’s Oxford Street every year, these people say LGBTQIA+-related discrimination and injustices are still prevalent in other places—especially in areas far away from the Mardi Gras parade route. So, to make consumers understand that it truly values and cares for everyone, ANZ created the campaign called… “Signs of Love!”.
Conceptualized with the help of marketing agencies TBWA\Melbourne and Revolver/Will O’Rourke, ANZ transformed street signs beyond inner-city Sydney to show support for LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Here’s what the campaign team did: ANZ, TBWA\Melbourne, and Revolver/Will O’Rourke knew Mardi Gras is a wonderful celebration of love and diversity. However, its home on Sydney’s Oxford Street is a long way for many Australians in the LGBTQIA+ community who live far from the place. So, what was the campaign team’s response to that concern? They didn’t provide fares for these people to be able to go to Sydney—they brought Sydney’s Oxford Street (a representation of gender equality) to where these people live! Luckily, this wasn’t much of a challenge because there’s a total of 123 Oxford Streets across Australia. After identifying 8 of the busiest Oxford Streets in 6 Australian states and 2 territories (1 per state and territory), the campaign team immediately worked to replace the old, rusty street posts with LGBTQIA+-related representations, such as rainbows and love hearts to sailor flamingos and unicorns.
All of the chosen Oxford Street posts were vibrant and colorful. The signs also included ANZ’s logo and the hashtag, #EqualFuture. The culmination of the campaign was in Sydney’s Bondi Beach—a favorite Mardi Gras hotspot. There, a massive 123-sign, 6-meter tall, 4-ton “Signs of Love” street post was unveiled.
… and that wasn’t all that there was to the campaign! The campaign team also worked with Google to display the colorful street signs on Google Street View. This further drew attention to ANZ’s push for an equal future for LGBTQIA+ individuals in every town, suburb, and city across Australia. The campaign lasted from February 2019 to March 2019. Was ANZ’s “Signs of Love” campaign effective? Many of those living away from Sydney’s Oxford Street parade route felt the Mardi Gras Festival’s celebration of diversity and commitment to social equality through ANZ’s guerrilla marketing campaign. In fact, the marketing stunt touched the lives of not only Australians but also others from different parts of the world! Here are the results of the campaign:
Based on these results, it’s clear that the “Signs of Love” campaign was effective in delivering ANZ’s message of equality and inclusion to its Australian market. Great job, ANZ, TBWA\Melbourne, and Revolver/Will O’Rourke! — One of the factors that led to the effectiveness of ANZ’s campaign was its ability to break away from the formal banking services image and conduct a marketing strategy that EVERYONE can relate to. Think about this: The LGBTQIA+ community is one of the images that appear in people’s minds whenever they hear the words, “equality,” “inclusivity,” and “diversity.” … and by uplifting this community, ANZ successfully came up with a great analogy to illustrate its commitment to push for an #EqualFuture for all its target market. As Carolyn Bendall, ANZ’s Marketing Head, said: “We’re letting everyone know that no matter how far from Oxford Street Sydney you are, we’re supporting you as we strive for inclusive communities and an #EqualFuture for all.” Thanks to this campaign, every Oxford Street across Australia—not just the one in Sydney—was never the same again! Whenever people looked or passed through these street signs, they no longer saw plain, rusty, and meaningless posts. After the “Signs of Love,” these streets served as a beautiful reminder that everyone deserves to be and feel loved, celebrated, and included. We hope you find this guerrilla marketing campaign inspiring and insightful! With a purposeful idea and a well-executed strategy, you and your brand can also become a fabulous beacon of inclusion, no matter what field or industry you’re in. Get ready to show some love to your target market! Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing! Do you want to learn how a consumer goods company captured Canadians’ attention using a simple bus stop challenge? See it in next week’s article! |
