IDFC takes potshots at emotional bank-speak, says deliver banking first

IDFC Bank has launched a series of films on the theme #BankingNibhao, promoting its offerings like four-minute account opening, doorstep banking and one bank account (savings and current).

Each of the films pokes fun at the emotional and relationship-led communication tone often used in the category.

One of the films (top) features a customer walking into a bank to open an account. The bank executive says he knows why the customer has come in, even without his telling him. He goes on to make a series of dramatic sounding promises about caring for the customer's dreams and so on, in the past, present and future. Put off by the executive's behaviour, the customer walks away. A voice over delivers the bank's message: 'Rishtedari chodo. Pehle banking nibhao' (Forget relationships, deliver banking first).

Another film promotes the Doorstep Banking option, wherein villagers can avail of banking facilities at ration shops in their neighbourhoods. This film features a bank executive who indulges in similar spiel. He ignores two women who seek his help in clarifying something about their account, while lavishing his attention on another customer. In the end, all of them walk out.

A third film features an irate customer complaining about his 'Achcha khasa' (good) cheque bouncing. He questions why his current and savings account cannot be merged together as one. Responding on another tangent, the banker says the bank and the customer are conjoined as one, and says that is important. He shows the baffled customer the bank's new ad on a tablet. The mouths its lines like 'Where not bankers, but friends will be found. Where not money, but relationships will accumulate.' This irritates the customer no end and he walks out. The message is, 'Hawa baazi chodo. Pehle banking nibhao' (Stop the empty talk, deliver banking first).