By 
By Nwakaego Alajemba
Sterling Bank Plc has stirred a social media war as banks fight to increase customers and financial assets.
A new advert creative by Sterling Bank with the theme: ‘Shoot for the moon, become a star’ has elicited a social media war. Other banks supposedly targeted negatively in the creative are aptly responding to Sterling Bank.
The Sterling Bank advert features a man on a rocket aiming for the moon (the moon is Sterling Bank’s circular crested red logo). The advert-theme asks customers to join in the ride to the moon and become stars.
It is a creative that plays round the icons of competitors with a large dose of derision. As Tope Kolade Fasua, Nigerian businessman, economist, banker and Chairman of Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) will put it in a Facebook post: “A very ‘mean’ advert by Sterling Bank …. Look well. Access Bank is taking that person backwards and the customer is still carrying bows and arrows. That man is sitting on a slow elephant (First Bank). The other one is riding a pony to nowhere (Union Bank), and GTBank… OMG… GTBank is portrayed as a prison for its customers. Meanwhile, the Sterling Customer is on a rocket headed for the moon (Sterling logo). This [has] created a war on Twitter Planet. In fact World War 3 has started in earnest. Please choose whose side you’re on!”
Sterling Bank launched its new advert campaign July 20 and the banking sector is in rage with responses.
Access Bank’s clearly tried to play on the smaller size of Sterling Bank. Its response was: ”We will travel on an imaginary rocket too, if we were a one-customer Microfinance Bank; but with ten million customers and counting, we rather bring the galaxy to you!
#YouAreWorthIt #TakeTomorrow #KnowYourElders”
But First Bank came for Sterling Bank angry and even hilariously abusive. In a series of tweets, Nigeria’s oldest bank asks the younger bank to respect its elders.
“What an elder sees while sitting, a child cannot see even if he travels to the moon #RespectYourElders #YouFirst”
The bank made a final ruling for Sterling rocket to go: “straight into the trash can.
#RespectYourElders #MoveOver #NextPlease #YouFirst.”
GTBank, portrayed as a prison for its customers, is gearing up with its own responses.
