Advertising

A dream is just a dream. A plan is just a plan. An idea is just an idea.
Until you decide to make it happen.
Fulfilling and safeguarding your dreams, plans and ideas. . . that’s what banking and insurance are to us. Getting you there. Fortis.

Campaign to put Fortis on the world map

Fortis has launched an international branding campaign to raise its profile in the international arena. This will increase public awareness of the Fortis name, making it easier for us to do business. Potential customers will be more likely to know who we are, what we do and what we stand for.

Our new promise, ‘Getting you there’, expresses the passion, drive and expertise that we want to be identified with. We want to help our customers fulfil their dreams, plans and ideas. This specific extra value that Fortis offers will encourage people to do business with us.

We show an interest in our customers and understand what drives them, and we keep our promises. The addition of the squared symbol expresses the extra mile that Fortis is willing to go in order to help our customers achieve their goals.

We want to show our customers that we are a modern and dynamic international company with the capacity to act, but also that we have empathy and commitment. We take the time to get to know our customers’ needs and to provide them with the insights they require to make the right decision at the right time. That distinguishes us from the competition and so will ultimately make us the preferred brand.

The campaign should not only create awareness of Fortis as a leader in the banking and insurance sector, but also provide a platform from which the Fortis businesses can present their own unique selling propositions.

The international financial community (medium-sized and larger companies) and opinion leaders are the main target groups of the campaign.

Kick-off at airports

The campaign has kicked off with 650 billboards and posters being strategically placed at major international airports with the aim of creating awareness of Fortis as a leading service provider in the global financial community.
The first promotional wave in January involved the airports of London, Paris, New York, Frankfurt, Zurich, Brussels, Amsterdam, Luxembourg and Warsaw. The next wave will be at the airports of Milan, Madrid, Lisbon and Hong Kong in February/March.

Travellers (especially businessmen) will intensely encounter the Fortis campaign until the end of June 2006.

Featuring the Thalys

As part of the Fortis campaign in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, a totally customised ‘Fortis is one’ Thalys (high-speed train) will travel between Paris and Amsterdam from 27 January until the end of June, attracting all eyes at major train stations. Its purpose is to profile Fortis as a creative leader and a commanding presence in the international financial services market.
Posters and advertisements on the platforms will add to the effect. This is the first time that the Thalys has featured in an international brand promotion. Passengers on the Thalys average 500,000 each month and perfectly match our main target groups.

Promotion

Every element of the campaign focuses on the realisation of customers’ dreams, plans and ideas. Every potential customer will be encouraged to identify his or her dream and to do something about it. Fortis intends to inspire them with the simple exhortation, ‘Catch your dream!’ Promo teams will hand out dream pillows at airports and on the Thalys in support of this. ‘Identify your dream and Fortis will help you achieve it’ is the underlying message.

Television advertising

Television will bring depth and emotion to the idea of realising dreams, plans and ideas, and will highlight Fortis’s leadership position. Commercials targeting the financial community will be broadcast in Europe, Asia and USA, with the emphasis on our international growth pillars such as: Merchant Banking and Private & Commercial Banking. The campaign will portray different people making their dreams a reality, illustrating the basic promise, ‘You’ll get there with Fortis at your side’.

Images 45 seconds TVC’s Anthem		Example 15 seconds TVC Satellite

Advertisements in the print media

Advertisements will appear in financial newspapers and journals throughout Europe, Asia and the US (East Coast) in February to June in order to get the campaign underway in all the markets where we operate. These advertisements will build on the story lines of the television commercials, creating maximum synergy and consistency.