Putting your money into a bank in Ukraine is a risky business, and Ukrainians seldom trust their bankers, typically drawing out all their salary on the same day it is paid in to their account. When Commerzbank took over local Bank Forum, we decided to play on the popularity of the German way of doing business, seen by Ukrainians as a utopian contrast to the world they live in: strong, reliable, efficient, predictable, stable, functional, punctual and honest with no surprises. In other words, what Ukrainians expect from Germans is exactly what they'd love to expect from their bank: banking, German style.

Traditional media channels are still king in Ukraine, so starting in branches the flat media campaign spread out to press, outdoor (transit and citylight posters) and a rich media banner campaign. 2 weeks later the campaign was bolstered by a series of TVCs aired extensively on all major Ukrainian TV channels and on screens at the Kiev International Airport. PR capped off the bundle with coverage on TV news and in major publications at what was perceived to be the most outstanding bank advertising campaign in the country's history.

Spontaneous brand awareness within the general public grew by 346% to 32% of the national population. Awareness of the bank's new German ownership grew sevenfold to almost 20%. The internet campaign helped acquire four times more new customers than planned for and remarkably, 62% of the general public recalled the message or slogan (Banking, German style) spontaneously.