Exclusive: Westpac talks expert solutions via new Lavender Sydney campaign launching tonight
CB Exclusive – Tonight sees the launch of the TV component of Westpac’s latest integrated campaign.
Created by agency Lavender, Sydney, the commercials show how bank managers can help people with a surprising range of money conversations.
Says Rebecca James, Lavender managing director: “Westpac were the first to put bank managers back in branches. Now we want to show customers that these managers are available for them.

“Bank managers can provide expert guidance on many financial issues that are on customers’ minds. These issues are often played out around the kitchen table, where customers struggle to get resolution,” she said. “We’re showing how bank managers are able to listen, understand and provide solutions.”
Adds Luke Chess, Lavender executive creative director: “Westpac has invested heavily in recruiting expert bank managers. They’re smart, amazing people who can do much more for customers than most realise. We simply wanted to show what they can do in a really simple, clear way.
“We’re talking about issues like affording private education, working out when to retire, getting your business bills paid faster, finding out what properties are really worth – all things that Westpac local bank managers can help with.”
Agency: Lavender, Sydney
Executive Creative Director: Luke Chess
Head of Art: Michael Dole
Creative Team: Andrew Cox, Nigel Lovesy, Paul Bootlis, Andrew Jones
Strategy Planner: Thomas Miles
Group Account Director: Tabitha Hammond
Agency Producer: John Lamble
Director: Graeme Burfoot
Producer: Jude Lengel
Production Company: The Feds
Editor: Drew Thompson
Client
General Manager: Nick Adams
Head of Brand and Advertising: Jane Connor
Snr Manager Brand and Reputation: Paul Morris

33 Comments
Interesting. Quite restrained. Maybe a little old-school for some tastes, but I rather like.
Oh dear…
Nice one Chesticles! Great to see good work coming out of Lavender at last.
Over over-acting.
Is their a demographic this campaign doesn’t insult?
Less than average.
The old cutaway to Modern Family/ Christopher Guest one on one chat to interviewer off camera technique. That’d be OK if the acting wasn’t so over the top.
Pretty funny for Westpac, there’s hope yet!
I get it; it’s funny cos they’re gay.
These are just horrible. Sorry, the idea seems ok, but the execution is hard to watch. These are the kind of ads that make people flip channels.
Finally some bank ads that don’t try too hard. And they actually promise me something useful instead of just telling me what they’re not. I like ’em!
Nice for a bank…
At least it’s better than black & white dog balls!
Seems to owe more than a little to Modern Family, but without the witty writing or great characters.
Risky decision to go with this concept.
It only works if brilliantly written and executed.
Sadly these aren’t and they painful.
Not sure which one I dislike the most;
The stereotypical over-zealous dad one.
The stereotypical gay fashion designers one.
The one with the stereotypical brow-beaten husband.
Or the stereotypical clueless couple.
Too much going on here. Super is too long at the start, the people are saying too much and there’s too little of a link to who ever it is they are supposed to be talking to, about doing whatever it is, to their finances.
cliche after cliche, did the flounder write these?
That’s such a stereotypical comment,
What happened to the real people approach? Over acted. Not at all believable.
Annoyingly overdone.
I hate the people in this ad, which makes me hate the bank
knowing pause, wandering eyeline. yawn. the mock doc cliches in full effect.
I kinda like them. Not a lot, but enough.
I still like em, good actors
No.No.No. If you want to represent real people, use real people. If you want the dialogue to have empathy, use their words not the copywriter’s. And ask yourself why great broadcast interviews invariably feature the interviewer, which in this case might have prevented the need for a voice-over to explain the concept.
out and out lame
i like them i think…
Why oh why do they put stuff like this on the blog? I’m thinking of putting up the latest Crazy Johns retail campaign I’ve just completed. It’s crrrrrrrraaaaaaaaazy.
christopher guest, woody allen , nrma for chrissakes! if youre going to copy can you at least be a little more obscure about it please…
It’s hardly anonymous when all the hate comments
come from the same agency IP address.
Really 11:51? Enlighten us …
Campaign brief receives the anonymous emails for this blog, these have agency specific IP codes when certain agencies put their work up their nemesis agency responds with a swarm of blogs intended to discredit the agency. The thing is they all come in with the same IP code. Not an overview of industry opinion more a cyber attack from a rival agency.
ask Lynchy