The banking sector in our country is one of the strongest and most stable in the world; we only need to mention the reputation, strength and international presence of institutions such as SANTANDER and BBVA. However, as a result of the 2008 financial crisis, both the public image and the reputation of banks were seriously damaged. The bad practices of many institutions and savings banks put them in the spotlight, and to this day many of their executives are still on trial.

Bankinter, at the end of 2019, months before the pandemic struck and the economic crisis we are currently suffering was unleashed, set out to vindicate the role of responsible banking done well in order to change the perception of the entire sector and thus win back the respect and trust of all.

1. To build a less cold and distant brand image. Bankinter wanted to show that it is an open, friendly bank that is committed to society as a whole. Bankinter, at the end of 2019, months before the pandemic struck and the economic crisis we are currently suffering was unleashed, set out to vindicate the role of responsible banking done well in order to change the perception of the entire sector and thus win back the respect and trust of all.
2. To prove its strength and flexibility in such an adverse and complex environment as the current one.
3. To inspire confidence among its own employees and clients (individuals and companies) by communicating the "Specific Measures" that Bankinter designed in record time to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus.

1. Increase the levels of recognition and recommendation of the bank.
2. Improve awareness of the bank by increasing advertising awareness, and amplify it through own media and earned media.
3. Accelerate the recovery from the impact of the coronavirus by increasing customer acquisition.

All the strategic decisions made were based on a thorough reflection on the experience that customers themselves have with Bankinter and with the sector as a whole. They can be summarised in three key concepts that helped to establish the space that the brand should occupy: Trust, Respect and Effort.

1. Trust. It expresses an aspiration. Bankinter, being part of a sector reputationally damaged, had to appeal to the values of good banking and prove its commitment in order to build its brand.

2. Respet. Bankinter needed to reach many more people; we wanted to be heard everywhere. That is why we decided to base our message on the fact that people's money deserves respect. We realised that since "no bank gives you anything", no one expects anything from any of them. If there is one thing we should always demand from a bank is this: that they take care of our money and treat it with respect.

3. Effort. Bankinter has always known that its customers' wealth - regardless of how much it amounts to - is not measured solely by the value of their salary, the value of their savings or the value of their shares. True wealth is measured by effort and by daily work. Your customers' wealth is the time and effort they put into making it.

From a creative point of view we decided to talk about the raw material of a bank: money, without euphemisms. We saw a very good opportunity, as all banks avoid talking about money. Banks are alone in this: is there an advert for beer, soft drinks, home hygiene, fashion, cosmetics where they don't show their product?

It seems a contradiction in terms to avoid discussing or showing what you are in essence. Bankinter had nothing to hide because it is a "clean" bank, without scandals. We wanted to act squarely and call a spade a spade. That is why we decided to use the actual banknotes of the world as a visual resource to express the bank's repositioning and re-humanise the economy, and we created a song to better convey our message and connect in a more emotional and direct way with everyone, whatever their age and whether they were customers or not.

The bank's approach was summed up in a closing phrase: Bankinter, the bank that sees money the way you do.

•  Bankinter saw the highest growth in balance sheet masses in the shortest period of time in the last 10 years.
•  Despite the impact of COVID, online customer acquisition increased by 21%, surpassing the levels at the beginning of the year, before the crisis.
•  All brand indicators grew by more than 10%, creating the image of a customer-friendly, more committed and transparent bank.
•  Bankinter climbed 295 places in the ranking of total brand awareness and became the second most popular bank just behind Banco Santander (Source: IOPE).
•  In the first 4 days of the campaign 1.3 M unique viewers watched our spot on Youtube. By the third week there were already 3 M views and 2.5 M unique viewers from 29 different countries.
•  The commercial’s song was the most searched on Shazam, and ranked 2nd on iTunes, only behind the Duo Dynamico's "Resistiré".
•  The country's major media and opinion leaders echoed the "Bankinter commercial".

The key to Bankinter's success in 2020 lies in having realised that the Bank needs to always lend a hand, but especially in these times.

This has been a very hard year in many senses, especially for our health, but the main consequence of the pandemic, apart from the people we have lost, is the difficult economic situation we are now facing. Bankinter is fully aware of this and has decided to implement a series of specific measures intended to alleviate the heavy burden to which we are bound to be subjected.

These are major measures, but the bank knows that this is where it can demonstrate its commitment. As the campaign says, if something is important to you, it should also be important to the bank.

The main goal is to instill in the client the kind of confidence generated by someone who not only supports you when they can profit from your company: these specific measures endorse this message. Mark Twain does the rest to attract the attention that the campaign deserves.

During the development of the strategy for the new purpose and the new Bankinter's "Banknotes" campaign, we decided to be present in the LGTBI target in an active and relevant way. We believe that making a nod to the target just on Pride Day is not only opportunistic and unrealistic but also deprives us of the chance to be active in that group.

That is why we decided to adapt our banknotes/portraits strategy to engage with them. Because we really believe that in these times, the real heroes and heroines are the citizens, who patiently struggle to help their families and their country. That is why it is not only emperors, kings or scientists who should be featured on banknotes, but the protagonists of the small feats that move the country forward.

But in this case with all the more reason, because the gay community has been fighting for ages to be accepted, to be respected... and they have suffered so much that those who have been leading from the front deserve a place on those banknotes. That's why we're launching the #dineroconorgullo challenge, so that people can name those gay activists who deserve to be on the banknotes.

The reaction was tremendous, not only in the social media but also in the magazines where the campaign appeared, which advocate for this group and have a strong influence on it.