Longer form content allows us to ‘indulge ourselves’, says DBS as banking mini series kicks on with new episodes
Singapore’s DBS Bank is pressing on with its drama-cum-advertising mini series, Sparks, as its marketing boss said longer form content has allowed the company to “indulge ourselves” and develop a deeper understand of the bank among customers.
The first three episodes of the heavily branded banking series were released earlier this year on Youtube and DBS’s owned channels, with some paid media to promote the series.
A fourth episode has just been released with episode five following next month.
Sparks, which stars Malaysian-born Singapore actor Adrian Pang and was produced by Moviola, follows a team of bankers at DBS and their dealings with clients, sprinkled with prospect of a developing romance between two team members.
The series has been inspired by real events, DBS said, including the unearthing of a fraudulent lending firm which swindled investors.
Karen Ngui
Karen Ngui, managing director and head of group strategic marketing and communications, said Sparks was designed to showcase a more “human” element of banking and shed the myth that bankers are all about numbers.
“Sparks has been a great opportunity to demonstrate how banking is not just nuts and bolts and numbers,” she said. “We wanted to show that what DBS does impacts real people and real lives.
“We have tried to demonstrate the culture of DBS and what it’s like to work as a team at DBS. It shows honesty and the humanity behind the brand. It’s not about dollars and cents and numbers but real people’s lives.”
The series has rolled out in Singapore, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong and India and has been promoted in cinemas and on TV.
“We were really happy with the responses to the first three episodes which is why we have come back with episodes four and five and there will most likely be more,” Ngui added.
She claimed the episodes, and their trailers, have so far generated 12 million views with more than 500,000 “interactions”. Viewers were even asked to post their favourite moments on the DBS Facebook page.
Ngui said it was “too early” to say how Sparks has impacted the perception of the brand but claimed anecdotal evidence was “encouraging”.
“Longer form video has enabled us to bring what we do to life verses having another traditional 30-second or 60-second TVC,” she told Mumbrella. “We have been able to draw people in so maybe they understand and appreciate bankers more and realise it’s very much a people’s industry. It’s not just about loans and credit cards, it’s about making lives and businesses better.”
Ngui described marketing as being in a “state of transition”, with the creation of Sparks illustrating how marketers have more weapons at their disposal.
“We have a lot more options and ways of engaging clients and clients to be,” she said. “There will always be a role for the more traditional print ads but we now have the opportunity to indulge ourselves in longer form videos.
“In the past we were hemmed in by media cost. To do a 60-second TV commercial would be considered a huge luxury, and 90-second was a very rare occurrence.
“The newer episodes are 10 minutes or even longer, and people have found it engaging. It lets the characters build out, and we can tell more of the story and get a better feel for the bank, what we stand for and how we go about our day to day to help our customers.”
Steve Jones is regular contributor to Mumbrella in Australia and Asia having held the title of chief reporter for several years. He is a journalist with more than 30 years experience and has worked for a number of consumer and trade titles in the UK and Australia
What’s up with local brands like DBS who seem to have a penchant in making their talents all sound/look SO UNLIKE Singaporeans? I get that you are trying to go regional and show that you have an international headcount but it does sound like you’re ashamed of your own lineage. This whole “pan-Asian sounding like nobody actually studied in Singapore or Asia” BS is just so offensive for a Singapore-born brand. How do you expect your customers to connect with you when they don’t see themselves in any of your series episodes? Would Citibank only do spots that only show people who DONT speak with an American accent? I’m glad at least SQ uses local talents/local talents and yes, they market globally too. This series is so ‘try hard’ its embarrassing. It’s DBS, no one falls for this whitewashing.
ReplyHang on lads. I’ve got an idea. We make a series of 15 minute videos about a bunch of yupped up 20 something bankers. Everyone likes them right? And we make it really bad.
ReplyLets face it…any sane person would rather watch Suits.
ReplyIndulge is clearly the key word here.
ReplyExtremely indulgent.
This is the kind of international work Singapore should be doing. Everyone loved Friends because they got to live a life they could never live. Singaporeans love money so not sure why this isn’t such a good idea.
Have they missed the mark a bit here or there, perhaps. At lest client and agency are attempting something different in the market.
ReplyTrying to compete with the gluttony of good video programming these days takes a certain amount of bravery, confidence… and a decent budget. The proof will be in the pudding to see how this impacts perceptions of the bank in Singapore and, equally as important, in other regional markets.
I can’t say I’ve watched the ads/shows but I applaud DBS for doing something bold and different.
ReplyInteresting to see how people inside the company are. Wondering how true it is though. Seems different from the reality my own interactions with bankers.
I think it is because I am an average Jo – who has only used personal banking services – versus the “private banking” or “investment banking” category of work/people showcased in this video series.
ReplyHave your say