I love this commercial. Not just love, but L-O-V-E love. Saw them a coupe of times on cable TV.

I kinda consider myself an ad man. I write and talk for a living, and I feel that I am above the influence of advertising. (well, most of the people are like that nowadays) So when I found myself having good thoughts about this bank after watching the commercial and hearing the copy (the spoken words), I thought, “Whoa! These guys are good.”

During the hard economic times, when people consider banks are evil and greedy corporations that cause all these mess, they make a copy so good I want to lick my fingers clean:

“Can a bank really stand for something?
Can it balance its ambition with its conscience?
To do what it ‘must’, not what it ‘can’?

As not everything in life that counts, can be counted.
Can it not look only at the profit it makes, but how it makes that profit?
And stand beside people, not above them?

Where every solution depends on each person?

Simply by doing good, can a bank, in fact, be great?

In the many places we called home, our purpose remains the same.

To be here for people.
Here for progress.
Here for the long run.
Here for good.”

*grab a tissue, pulling myself together*

I was ready to make an account with them. Savings, deposits, anything! I’d drive down to their banks just to have one of those staff that is ‘here for people’ smile back at my smile.

Then the sms offering me loans started pouring in.

On breakfast. On lunch. On brunch. On between brunch and lunch. On photoshoots. On important brainstorming meetings. On Saturday mornings while I’m still sleeping. On Sundays. On baby christenings. On U2 tours. On lunches with Bono. (Ok a bit exaggerating there, but they do sms A LOT.)

And all I can think about the bank right now is how much they have annoyed me, how much they have invade my privacy. “Eh, what commercial?” Almost all of my friend have expressed the same image. It’s annoying and they are evil.

Not a good follow-up to that heart-jerking multi-national campaign eh?

It’s too bad. I really want to see the campaign works. To be reminded that people still can believe things that they hear and see on their TV sets or the internet.

But again, the ancient adage stands: “Action speaks louder than words.” A multi-million dollars worth of words by brilliant copywriters and advertising agencies included apparently.

As a face for a service business, I am reminded also. Shutting up now.

And if you are too, you should too.