Many of my fellow performing arts professionals are understandably miffed at the sight of this pair of ad graphics, which recently appeared on my Facebook feed. As am I. After all, I've made some income each year as an professional actor for over 25 years. Yet I also can't help but laugh and see some irony in it, since, as a young man, I worked in WFB's inbound telemarketing department, while treading the boards at night. Management even let me put up posters of the shows in which I was acting. (Our department manager also had a background in theatre.) It's a tone-deaf message, and I've conveyed my feedback to a bank manager acquaintance, which she can forward to higher-ups. I can easily imagine the crap-storm this'll generate when big money celebrity performers catch wind of this. I bet this message will be pulled shortly, as senior executives soon imagine movie, TV and dancing pop stars threatening to shut their huge accounts with the bank. The head of marketing has got some backing and filling to do--even fellow employees who are personal bankers to these stars will soon be on marketing's case. An apology is in order to all professional actors and dancers, also performing arts organizations of various sizes, who have accounts with the bank, too. There's an additional irony in the likelihood that those are professional actors posing in the stock photos used in these layouts. The ad department will catch even more degrees of hell, if SAG-AFTRA and Equity locals have accounts there, too. Who do you think the bank hires to deliver lines for their national radio and TV spots but talent affiliated with those unions? I doubt they'll get much sympathy from engineers and botanists either. There are plenty of engineers who work in the performing arts as lighting, sound and stage techs, and what self-respecting botanist would want any part of this marketing fail that's stirring up a hornet's nest of angry showbiz people? It's just mind-blowing that no one in marketing/advertising caught this before it went public.
Acting : regarding Wells Fargo's marketing fail by Colin Hussey
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Very interesting that it said join us for teen day. The ad very much seems to be implying that wanting to be a performing artist is not a good choice and those teens need redirection. As someone with a BA in Theatre and $60K in debt because of it, I do find the ad offensive. I don't bank there but if I did, I wouldn't be a customer anymore. Wells Fargo needs to know their new ad campaign is an advertisement for a competitor.
The ad implies that, "Anything is possible with the financial guidance and expert assistance available at Wells Fargo." Just my opinion. The transition described in the print ads is much more likely than the reverse.
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The ad does open one's mind to possibilities negative and positive. Can we ride the fence on this one? lol
Thing is, advertising is primarily about emotion, and something like this is bound to alienate working professionals in the acting and dancing fields. I can even see the bank's head of TV and radio advertising having words with the head of the print ad department over this.
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In my case it would be "A firefighter yesterday. An actor today" :D (stil working on the last part) XD
It's saying, "Pursue you passion, but with our help you can get an education and a "real" job. Now you can pursue your passion part time, still eat and not have to share an apartment with three other guys... (or girls)" Some of you are making too much of this. I doubt that the hundreds of working professionals that auditioned for these print ads gave it a second thought. I'm certain that many, many people in the Wells Fargo marketing and advertising departments looked at the proposed ad campaign and had no problem with it. The creatives that pitched this idea had no issues either.
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Apparently a lot of people were offended, so no I don't think we are making too much of this. Wells Fargo has issued an apology regarding their misguided advertising and said they support the arts.
I knew they'd eventually get around to issuing an apology.