Exploring An Advertising Campaign

Ð''HSBC Ð'- The Worlds Local Bank'

The HSBC group has been a banking corporation since 1865, set up to finance the growing trade between Europe, India, & China. The company are referred to as a group because they are not all one company. HSBC is a holding company, which either owns, or partially owns all of its subsidiaries, which then trade under the HSBC name. HSBC buy shares of a company, until they have a majority. Once they have that majority, they package up the newly acquired company in HSBC colours, and then that company is either a full or partial agent for the group, selling the products and services that HSBC offers, and being held by that agent, which is managed by HSBC. The group is named after its founding member, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

Since 2002, HSBC has carried the tagline, Ð''The Worlds Local Bank', emphasising the group's experience and understanding of a great variety of markets and cultures. The group wish to emphasise that HSBC is the local bank to that country, understanding its customs and traditions, and accommodating its customers accordingly. They wish to integrate into the society where the branch is held, and not alienate existing, or prospective customers with foreign ways.

I think that HSBC is aiming its advertising at people who have an interest in their finances. It has taken a very clever and mature approach to banking, advertising not only for the discerning financier, but also for businesses however big or small. Its light hearted approach also engages the average banker, and shows the lesser known services that the bank can perhaps provide if need be.

The advertising campaign for HSBC has to compete against many other of the top banks in the UK, such as Lloyds TSB, Barclays, and the Royal Bank of Scotland. It appears to me that the other advertising campaigns for these banks are not as effective, as I cannot recall a single commercial for one of these banks, and describe it with the detail that I could a HSBC advert. I myself am a Lloyds TSB banker, and the only thing I can remember about their image, is a black horse. I think I can recall the HSBC campaign so vividly is because it was funny. In-fact, I don't think there was one commercial of theirs in the Ð''Worlds Local Bank' range that I didn't laugh at when seeing. The fact that I can retain the information of these commercials above all others shows how successful their advertising campaign has been on me, if not anybody else.

HSBC is one of the largest financial groups in the world, and trades on stock markets in London, New York, Paris, and Hong Kong. It has over 9,800 offices in 77 countries, across six continents, and can guarantee you the same service you get at home, right into the far corners of the world. To somebody who travels a lot, this is a huge credit to know that your bank can communicate on your behalf to any organisation, business, or persons involving a financial affair, no matter where you are.

The bank's logo is an elongated hexagon shape, and is an agglomeration of three symbols: the Scottish origin of Thomas Sutherland (the saltier/cross in the centre), the red colour symbolising China, and the triangles at the side symbolising the bank being open for business. This logo is seen on everything HSBC, and is often seen on a pristine white background, before a map of the world fades in, and the catchy jingle plays on all of Ð''The Worlds Local Bank' adverts. The clever design of the logo is lost on most people, as it doesn't look like anything like anything, but we would always associate it with HSBC, as it has become entwined with the company.

Its illuminative commercials give insight to other cultures, and take a droll approach to putting this across. The adverts in the campaign focus