BNP’s advertisement “You take money seriously, we are going to understand each other” is displayed in the Paris metro

Seven years after its creation,BNP wants to assert the image of an objective bank in its relations with customers and one that isn’t afraid to announce to the public the nature of its business: the money business performed skilfully, in the interest of the bank and its customers.

That’s how, on 15 March 1973, BNP’s most known advertising campaign was launched with its shock slogan “To speak frankly, your money interests me.”
This poster, displayed on the dock of a Paris metro station, shows an actor playing the part of a banker. The banker challenges the public with a provocative formula: “You take money seriously, we are going to understand each other.” This is one of the messages rolled out around the slogan “I want your money.” Additional formulas like “Don’t be afraid of disturbing me, I like to talk about money” or “You have never had a chequebook, I offer you one” also accompanied the posters.

The campaign was diffused via the main communication channels: television, radio, advertising walls, daily newspapers and magazines.

If BNP’s initiative was both lauded and sharply criticised, its immense media impact seems to have been rather positive for the institution. Its gamble involving completely accepting the perception that public opinion had of bankers turned out to be beneficial. During 1973, the opening of new accounts increased.