Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Sloganini collects together Croatian slogans, with the goal of offering a review of local advertising production, protection of authorship (‘moral copyright’) and the desire to communicate better and more creatively in the public space.
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In this month’s edition, slogans from the category of finance are reviewed by Daniel Vuković, creative director of Fahrenheit.
“Slogans and I don’t get along. I’m probably the worst person the editor of Sloganini could have selected as the first reviewer of slogans on his site. I didn’t tell him that immediately, and I sent this piece at the last minute, so he was almost forced to publish it. I am, however, comforted by the fact that things can only get better after me.
Why no love between me and slogans? When I first meet someone, during the conversation we almost always touch upon our professional lives. When I first started working in advertising, and even later with my formal title of creative director, I liked to call myself “copywriter”. After which the next question would usually be: “Oh, so you write slogans?” At that point I would try to explain “it’s not just that, there’s much more to it.” In vain.
I never looked at my job as “writing slogans”. Just as my architect sister doesn’t see her job as just the arrangement of interiors (which she calls “décor”) but as the design of space. Slogans are “décor”. Although I’m a creative, I have always believed that the strategic part of the process of building a brand is far more important than the creative solutions. A slogan will be as good as the strategic background of the campaign.
So for these reasons, the evaluation of slogans is a thankless job. Each brand has its own life journey, during which it changes its positioning, values and attributes, its promises and slogans. The exact current position of all the brands and where they are going is hard for a creative director to know. But anyhow, I’ll try to look back at some slogans analytically and satisfy the task that is asked of me.
ALLIANZ INSURANCE: S vama od A-Z (With you from A to Z).
Allianz is the second largest player in the market in its category. It was created by the merger of two large companies. So the objectives of this slogan were to guarantee size, reliability and security, or to point out that the insurer is with the client from start to finish, in happiness and distress, “for better or worse.” In addition, of course, it reminds us of both its founders by the initials of their brands – Allianz and Zagrebačka bank. I would say that it was done quite skillfully.
ERSTE BANK: Važno je s kim bankarite (It’s important who you bank with).
The slogan of Erste Bank was created in a different context. Erste Bank appeared in the market quite late and took the role of a challenger, in contrast to much its larger competitors who were gaining clients simply through inertia. After the first slogan, Jer ste Vi na prvom mjestu (Because you come first), the message to clients being that at Erste Bank you will not just be a number on a piece of paper, the second slogan aims to break the conventional view that all banks are the same, but that it’s best to open an account with the bank with the most ATMs and branches. Erste Bank sees itself as a serious challenger, aiming at the younger urban population, assuring them there is a real alternative to the dominant banks.
BNP PARIBAS CARDIF CROATIA: Osiguravatelj za svijet koji se mijenja (The insurer for a changing world).
This slogan is an adaptation of the existing international positioning slogan The bank for a changing world, intended for a different category. Since I know very little about this company, I can only assume that it’s a brand that wants to be perceived as modern, dynamic, innovative and flexible towards its clients. In fact, it gives a promise: “As our client, you will always be in step with the world.” I like such an unpretentious form that places the life that is happening in the center of events, and places themselves as an insurer-scientist who observes and monitors. Interesting.
SPLITSKA BANK: Gradimo uspjeh zajedno (We build success together).
Splitska Bank is trying to “make room” for itself in the small Croatian market. It generally does it tactically, through niche target groups. I believe that among their major target groups are small and medium-sized enterprises. That is why the slogan is so “constructive”. It’s literally built from three positivist terms that are spinning some very tempting associations. It also invites us. Who wouldn’t love to build and progress, to reach their goal and succeed, and to share common emotions with a counter cashier at the end of the road?
CROATIA BANK: Hrvatska i pouzdano vasa (Croatia, reliably yours).
As almost all the banks in the domestic market are owned by foreign companies, Croatia Bank rightly believes that local ownership is a major benefit in the minds of potential customers. We are one of the few countries whose population has such intense feelings for their native soil. So, this is okay by me. But what bothers me is the claim of the second part. Because I know it’s not mine. I reliably know that.
After fulfilling this thankless task, I will reveal to you how I solved the problem I mentioned in the beginning. When meeting people, instead of saying I’m a “copywriter” or a “creative director”, I say: “I make ads.” In 100% of cases the next question is: “Oh … on television? On the radio? Internet? Or those big billboards along the road?” And I triumphantly answer: “All of them!” And the person in front of me, full of awe, utters: “It must be a very creative job…” and, to my great satisfaction, they don’t mention slogans.