Making a big leap from buying local and regional TV, SunTrust Banks will buy its first national TV Super Bowl commercial, which will air next month.
SunTrust -- the Atlanta-based bank with
mostly Southeast retail banking locations -- says the Super Bowl media buy is warranted, noting its expanded national physical presence ins financial businesses, including capital market services,
mortgage banking and asset management.
The company now has major wholesale business offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Houston. “Now that we have a stronger
national footprint, that definitely weigh into [the decision],” Susan Somersille Johnson, chief marketing officer of SunTrust, tells Media Daily News.
The Super Bowl commercial,
created by New York-based StrawberryFrog, focuses on financial stress and how to alleviate it. SunTrust says currently nearly 75% of Americans are experiencing financial stress.
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Johnson:
“It’s different than anything we have done before. It’s not business as usual. It’s not a product ad. It’s not a traditional brand ad. It’s to raise awareness about
an issue and inspire people to take a step toward financial confidence.”
SunTrust’s 30-second Super Bowl commercial will air at the two-minute warning of the fourth quarter of the
game -- the last spot in a commercial pod before the telecast returns to football action.
Media executives say CBS, which will air the game on February 7, is getting a record price for a
30-second TV commercial: $5 million.