CMB is one of the most successful and dynamic parts of the HSBC business representing in excess of 24% of the bank’s profit. Also, it is a hugely important part of the world’s local bank brand in that it is one of the best examples of its universal, joined-up expertise providing international finance, transactions and support, as well as high quality relationship services for smaller domestic businesses. The desire is to continue to promote CMB as a relevant and cohesive part of the world’s local bank brand whilst recognising the different motivations and issues that business banking faces.

The creative strategy focus is to demonstrate that HSBC understands the multi-faceted values of success to which its multi-faceted customer base aspires. Because they deal with every sort of business customer, from global corporates to one-man bands all around the world, HSBC can better recognise their different business motivations, understand their financial needs and better respond to help them succeed.

Recognising that what it takes to succeed in business today is the specialised knowledge of people from everywhere, HSBC recognises that international business people of all sorts have different views about what success feels like and how they want to make it happen. Position HSBC as understanding people’s priorities and values and therefore better able to address their needs. HSBC has an unparalleled global reach with an understanding of customers in 64 countries and territories spanning 140 years. If your success is being international, shouldn’t your bank be too?

The Solution

Your next big thing is out there. Is your bank?

HSBC takes pride in understanding the subtleties of cultural differences. So we introduced a thought-provoking ad campaign illustrating how there are multiple perspectives on any given subject and tagged the campaign with a special URL, yourpointofview.com.

As part of the roll out of the Global CMB campaign, this microsite (by JWT HK) was created to showcase HSBC's local knowledge. Working closely with the Digital CD, we took the stories from the print ads and gave them more depth and background, and the chance to win a grant for innovation in business planning.

The “Your Point of View” portal/microsite (above), and the
relatively large library of advertising materials it contains (below).

In the last quarter of 2008, the world was hit by the worst global downturn in living memory. At the time, I was working as the CD on the global HSBC account, and we had just finished up the famous HSBC Lassi commercial I wrote (above) and "Lumberjack". 

We were also in the middle of production for 3 more in the series. Sad to say, the crash halted production, so I don't have the final TVCs we shot, but here are the animatics I wrote.