While in recent years many retailers have made infamous Black Friday sales into even more of a behemoth by pushing back their opening times so sales start earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving day, others, such as Costco, have gained public respect by bucking the trend. In a new campaign aimed at the most infamous shopping day of the year, Arnold Worldwide came up with a series of Black Friday alternatives for Santander Bank in an attempt to take back the “true meaning” of Thanksgiving (and make Santander look good by association).
In the above, 30-second spot, “Black Bean Soup Friday” for example, we see shots of a family rising early and piling in the car. “On…Black Friday, Tom and his kids will rise before the sun,” the voiceover informs us, “They will beat the crowds” it goes on as the car speeds along. But, in what’s designed to be a surprise, they “…pass the department stores with lines around the block,” and instead go volunteer at a local soup kitchen. “There are many ways to make the day after Thanksgiving meaningful,” the spot concludes, “How will you spend your day?”
This may seem like an unusual move for a financial institution who stands to benefit from a rush of holiday spending, but Santander claims its “family-values focused European roots run deep” and that they have a “commitment to Real Change and challenging traditional perceptions of banking.” So by taking a stab at Black Friday, in a way designed to be heartwarming, Arnold is distancing Santander from other banks, and attempting to make people think that, unlike their competitors, Santander stands for something. Other Black Friday alternatives suggested in the campaign are “Black Top Friday” (spent playing basketball with friends and family) and “Black Belt Friday” (spent watching Kung-Fu flicks).
Credits:
Client: Santander Bank
Spot: “Black Bean Soup Friday”
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Chief Creative Officers: Wade Devers, Pete Johnson
Creative Director: Andy Clarke
Art Director: Sara Goldsmith
Copywriter: David Register
Producer: Lisa Sulda
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Teitelbaum
Business Affairs: Jen Wrentmore
Planners: Marissa Kelley
Strategy: Justin Stone
Marketing Producers: Barb Reilly, Karen Morales, Renee Herendeen, Shaye Ellis
Production Company: Minder
Production Company Executive Producer: Chris Jennings
Production Company Producer: Meriden Estes
Director: Steve “Stebs” Schinnerer
Editing Company: Lost Planet Editorial