Credit Bank advertising campaigns

7 print media ads for the promotion of Credit Bank. They cover the years 1976-1992.  

Through brochures, posters and print media ads, Credit Bank informed its customers from Greece and abroad about modern banking concept (fig. 3), the catchword Mazi (Greek for “together”, photos 1 and 4) and the advent of digital and online applications (photos 2, 5, 6 and 7). 

New brand, new identity 

In 1972 Commercial Credit Bank was renamed Credit Bank. Along with the new brand name, the bank adopted a new corporate identity.  

That is when it also launched an integrated advertising campaign that was way ahead of its time and unprecedented in Greece. The campaign aimed at outlining the bank’s profile through the selected symbols and colours. 

A new world was showcased by Credit Bank that was modelled on modern banking concepts. The bank effectively advertised this shift through a number of brochures and print media ads. Its purpose was for customers making transactions in Greece and abroad to learn of its vision on modern banking concepts.  

The Mazi campaign 

In 1976 Credit Bank turned to attracting new depositors. A far-reaching campaign was built around the catchword Mazi (Greek for “together”) to help the public grasp the people-oriented approach of modern banking.  

The bank used TV commercials for the first time in the context of this campaign. Mr Mazi starred in all 3 commercials, each time with a different customer type: a businessman, an old lady and a young boy.  

A new era closer to the EU 

In 1981, when Greece joined the European Economic Community, Credit Bank launched a new advertising campaign called “Together with the doers”.  

The campaign targeted the country’s productive forces, including the industry, cottage industry and business owners, encouraging all to walk “together” with the bank. 

Later on, another major campaign called “Together for ’92” associated Credit Bank’s own goals and perspectives with Greece’s efforts to live up to the challenges of becoming an EU member.  

The age of digital services 

In 1978 Credit Bank printed new brochures that stood out for their originality and bright colour palette. These brochures informed customers about the advent of digital technology and 3 new types of services.  

Credit Bank entered the digital era in 1981. In yet another pioneering move, it launched the online/real-time system, which allowed customers to make deposits and withdrawals automatically. 

In 1983 a series of innovations that included the first ATMs, the first cash card, and creditnet, the first digital banking network, posed considerable new challenges for the bank. 

The public learned of Credit Bank’s pioneering role in bringing services to the digital era through another major campaign on TV and print media.  

The cash card portion of the campaign even included a short film broadcast on TV that showed customers how to use the card.  

Funny sketches created by popular cartoonist KYR (Giannis Kyriakopoulos) were also used to showcase and explain the practical details of digital services.  

4 innovative products 

1992 saw the beginning of a campaign to promote the innovative products and services that Credit Bank was launching into the Greek market.  

The first instalment of the campaign advertised the multiple advantages of Cashcard Visa, the first bankcard/credit card ever marketed in Greece.  

Next came the promotion of Alphaphone, a pioneering system for accessing services and transferring funds, which the first home banking application in the Greek market.  

Credit Bank also used brochures and print media ads to promote Alphalink. This new service enabled a terminal to automatically authorise, credit and charge credit cards. 

In 1992 the final stage involved the launch of Alphaline, an ultra-high-tech solution at the time that provided banking services online. 

Credit Bank’s collection of advertising material 

These 7 print media ads belong to Credit Bank’s impressive collection of advertising material. 

The collection covers every aspect of the advertising and promotional activity carried out in the years 1972-1993. 

Art in the service of advertising 

In 1987 the bank commissioned 12 established Greek artists to each create a work capturing the concept of togetherness to match the Mazi (together) campaign.  

The paintings created in this context became the subject of an ad campaign, but also received wide publicity by the press at the time.  

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