Commerzbank launches its first international Corporate Clients advertising campaign

Integrated Corporate Clients campaign communicates the international expertise of Commerzbank: At your side, worldwide

Today, Commerzbank launches its first international campaign focusing on its Corporate Clients business. The campaign is intended to promote the strengths of Commerzbank’s international business as well as its global presence and service offering for corporate clients domestically and globally. Four Commerzbank employees are featured as protagonists with the campaign representing four different locations and Commerzbank’s international expertise.

The main focus of the campaign is an overarching TV commercial which will appear on primetime television in Germany. The TV commercial will be accompanied by six content videos which will feature on international online media. The campaign focuses on seven core countries where marketing activities will be implemented: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France as well as the UK, China and the USA.

Within the TV commercial, four Commerzbank employees are featured, representing four international locations. One employee, Marie Duflos, is already known from the Corporates & Markets TV commercial. Three further employees from New York, São Paulo and Shanghai will also be seen on screen. Commerzbank’s intention behind the Corporate Clients campaign is to strengthen the perception of Commerzbank as an international bank and to make clients and prospects more aware of its capabilities.

The TV commercial highlights Commerzbank’s international competence stating: ‘There’s a bank in Europe that stands at corporates’ side like no other. One which accompanies European corporates worldwide. A bank that finances a large share of European foreign trade, and was founded especially for that purpose over 140 years ago. That’s why so many companies in Europe rely on it for their international trade.’

Michael Reuther, Commerzbank Divisional Board Member of the new segment Corporate Clients and Group Treasury, explains why as part of the new strategy the corporate clients business is helping to establish Commerzbank’s identity: ‘Commerzbank processes over 30 per cent of German foreign trade and almost 20 per cent of the European foreign trade. We want to highlight this strong international presence and expertise even further with society and our customers. Our international business strengths are still little known by clients and prospective clients. We want to change that. We want to place greater emphasis on international competence.’

As a modern multi-channel bank, Commerzbank produced a moving image campaign with an innovative media and channel strategy on TV and on social networks. The Bank has also created a dedicated campaign microsite. The campaign represents the service offering of former segments Mittelstandsbank and Corporates & Markets, which are now merged, bringing their core strengths to the new segment Corporate Clients.

Commerzbank Head of Brand Management, Uwe Hellmann, explains how the Corporate Clients segment campaign is integrated into Commerzbank’s brand and product advertising plans: ‘The Corporate Clients campaign does not only strengthen the public perception of Commerzbank as an international bank but also mentions concrete products and innovative service offering for corporate clients globally.’

Running alongside the TV commercial and the six online content videos, adverts in print and online media will be placed. The campaign will also be displayed on screens at German and international airports in New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and London. The campaign is expected to run until end of December.

The campaign introduces the core business capabilities of Commerzbank’s new Corporate Clients segment, covering: Export finance, Commerzbank’s cross-border relationship model, capital market financing, risk management for interest rates, foreign exchange and commodities, letters of credit and cash pooling. Commerzbank campaign promises: ‘At your side, worldwide!’

About Commerzbank

Commerzbank is a leading international commercial bank with branches and offices in more than 50 countries. With the two business segments Private and Small Business Customers, as well as Corporate Clients the Bank offers a comprehensive portfolio of financial services which is precisely aligned to the clients’ needs. Commerzbank finances more than 30 per cent of Germany’s foreign trade and is the unchallenged leader in financing for SMEs. The Commerzbank subsidiaries Comdirect in Germany and M Bank in Poland are two of the world’s most innovative online banks. With approximately 1,000 branches Commerzbank has one of the densest branch networks among German private banks. In total, Commerzbank boasts more than 16 million private customers, as well as 1 million business and corporate clients. The Bank, which was founded in 1870, is represented at all the world’s major stock exchanges. In 2015, it generated gross revenues of almost 9.8 billion Euro with approximately 51,300 employees.

Disclaimer

This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. In this release, these statements concern inter alia the expected future business of Commerzbank, efficiency gains and expected synergies, expected growth prospects and other opportunities for an increase in value of Commerzbank as well as expected future financial results, restructuring costs and other financial developments and information. These forward-looking statements are based on the management’s current plans, expectations, estimates and projections. They are subject to a number of assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from any future results and developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include the conditions in the financial markets in Germany, in Europe, in the USA and other regions from which Commerzbank derives a substantial portion of its revenues and in which Commerzbank holds a substantial portion of its assets, the development of asset prices and market volatility, especially due to the ongoing European debt crisis, potential defaults of borrowers or trading counterparties, the implementation of its strategic initiatives to improve its business model, particularly to reduce its ACR portfolio, the reliability of its risk management policies, procedures and methods, risks arising as a result of regulatory change and other risks. Forward-looking statements therefore speak only as of the date they are made. Commerzbank has no obligation to update or release any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.