Mellon Bows New Ads

Mellon Financial’s first major campaign since the company shed its retail-banking operations last year is tagged, “The difference is measurable,” and is aimed at corporations and wealthy investors.

Print ads from MARC USA in Pittsburgh break today in The Wall Street Journal; TV spots are set to bow April 15 on cable and network.

“We were trying to say, ‘the new Mellon,’ without being too obvious about it,” said Ed Fine, MARC’s chief creative officer, of the campaign. “We didn’t want anyone to think it’s ‘scary new.’ “

Having sold its banking operations to Citizens National last year, Mellon is focusing on its wide array of consulting work and investment services. Spending figures for this year’s campaign were not disclosed; last year, Mellon spent about $11 million, the bulk of it behind its banks.

MARC’s print and TV work takes a day-in-the-life approach. A spot filmed on a New York commuter line shows a train entering a tunnel in the morning and emerging at day’s end, with a Mellon investor aboard still confident and secure as he peruses his investment information.

A print ad shows an executive standing against windows overlooking a city, the sky stretching from morning light on the left to dusk on the right. “At the beginning of the day, it’s all about possibilities,” copy atop the illustration reads. Below: “At the end of the day, it’s all about results.”

The agency had to be careful not to make any financial guarantees in the ads, Fine said, “but [the work says] you’ll see a difference in us.”