Distinctive new television commercials tell Standard Chartered's 'Here for good' story
United Arab Emirates - 20 April 2010: -Television commercials that take viewers on a fascinating journey through the many places that Standard Chartered calls home begin airing this week to support the Bank's new brand campaign. The commercials will be broadcast across major international and local TV / satellite channels in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. In the Middle East, the commercials debut on 21 April on Abu Dhabi Al Oula, Dubai TV, Dubai One, Sama Dubai, Show Time Movies, Show Time Series, Zee TV, Sony TV and Star Plus TV.
"Here for good is a simple phrase with multiple meanings. It sums up Standard Chartered's deep and lasting commitment to the people that we serve and the countries where we operate. To powerfully convey this bold statement, we've taken an unusual creative approach to our television commercials. The result is attention-grabbing advertising that captures the true essence of our brand belief." said Marcus Bailey, Standard Chartered Regional Head of Corporate Affairs for Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan.
The campaign features a set of four distinctive television commercials representing the Bank's focus on Asia, Africa and the Middle East as well as its international outlook. Standard Chartered briefed four artists from around the world to each create a short film based on their personal interpretation of the brand promise, their heritage and their craft. Each commercial brings the meaning of Here for good into focus through a different lens, depending on the artist's genre. The television commercials are set in the Bank's major markets, and collectively demonstrate the multiple meanings of Here for good.
Stefan Sagmeister, the renowned graphic designer, uses highly creative typography to demonstrate Standard Chartered's commitment to 'the many places it calls home'.
Tian Zhuang Zhuang, one of the most successful Chinese filmmakers today, uses the symbolism of trees and city life as he demonstrates the significance of Standard Chartered's heritage and longevity.
Ezra Wube, an Ethiopian-born filmmaker and artist, uses painting and animation to tell a story about progress focused on the changing but unique face of Africa.
Sandra Madi, from Jordan, uses documentary filmmaking to tell a simple story about relationships and Standard Chartered's commitment to generations of customers.
The Bank's new brand promise, 'Here for good', captures the Bank's distinctive approach to international banking and creates a strong platform for continued growth. The Here for good brand campaign is also featured across global and local newspapers and magazines, online and in outdoor media in over 30 countries. This campaign comes ahead of the Bank's sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club from July 2010, which will significantly expand global awareness of the brand.
For further information please contact:
Haya Mashhood
Head, Corporate Affairs
Standard Chartered Bank
Qatar
Tel: +974 4248450
Fax: +974 4248111
Mobile: +974 5847178
Email: Haya.Mashhood@sc.com
Notes to Editors
DIRECTOR BIOS
Stefan Sagmeister
Stefan is among today's most important graphic designers. Born in Austria, he now resides and works in New York. In 1993, he formed Sagmeister Inc. and has since designed branding, graphics and packaging for clients as diverse as the Rolling Stones, HBO, the Guggenheim Museum and Time Warner.
Nominated five times, Stefan won a Grammy Award for his design of the Talking Heads box set. He has also earned practically every important international design award. In 2001, he published a best-selling monograph about his work entitled Sagmeister: Made You Look. Solo shows on Stefan's work have been exhibited in Zurich, Vienna, New York, Berlin, Tokyo, Osaka, Prague, Cologne and Seoul. He teaches in the graduate department of the School of Visual Art in New York and has been appointed as the Frank Stanton Chair at The Cooper Union School of Art, New York.
Stefan continues to lecture extensively on all continents. He received his Master of Fine Arts in graphic design from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and, as a Fulbright Scholar, a Master's Degree from the Pratt Institute in New York.
The strength of Stefan's work lies in his ability to conceptualise: to come up with potent, original, and stunningly appropriate ideas. As he pours his heart and soul into every piece of work, his designs are instantly timeless and of the moment. With such painstaking attention to detail, Stefan's work offers something new every time you look at it.
Tian Zhuang Zhuang
Tian began as an amateur photographer and an assistant cinematographer at the Beijing Agricultural Film Studio. In 1982, he graduated from the Beijing Film Academy together with a cohort of Fifth Generation directors that included Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou.
One of Tian's most renowned works is The Horse Thief (1986). Like many of his early films, it focused on ethnic minorities in China. With a mix of stunning cinematography and inspired storytelling, Martin Scorsese named it his favourite film of the 80s.
In 1993, Tian made The Blue Kite, which won the Tokyo International Film Festival and Best Film at the Hawaii International Film Festival, but which was barred in China and as a result Tian stopped making films for ten years.
Following the hiatus, the director returned to China with a critically acclaimed remake of Fei Mu's Spring in a Small Town, often referred to as Springtime in a Small Town (2002).
In 2004, Tian made China's first HD feature, a documentary called Delamu, on ethnic minorities in Yunnan and Tibet. His more recent films include The Go Master (2006) and The Warrior and the Wolf (2009). Despite his immense popularity and stature, Tian continues to remain rooted, both as a person and a filmmaker.
Ezra Wube
Having won an art contest as a child, Ezra received his first set of oil paints that would seal his career as an artist. Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he moved to the United States at the age of 18. Over the next ten years, Ezra has produced a series of works that draw on his past, in both painting and animation.
In 2003, he held his first solo art exhibition at the Dreams of Freedom Museum, Boston. The following year, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art. Upon graduation, Ezra was granted the Dondis Travel Fellowship to conduct research on Ethiopian folklore. After travelling for four months, he compiled more than 100 stories throughout Ethiopia, which would serve as a means of cultural preservation and personal artistic inspiration.
Living life in a state of constant change, Ezra's work takes on a similar theme. In fact, some of his animation pieces rely on a single canvas, with layer upon layer of paint added to it. With each painting photographed, then erased and painted over again, the compiled stills create a mesmerising flow of moving images. Much like himself, Ezra's art embodies an effortless sincerity. His work is filled with references to tradition and modernity, past and present, as well as people and their respective journeys.
Ezra currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, working on his Master of Fine Arts at Hunter College.
Sandra Madi
Sandra was born in Amman, Jordan. She is an award-winning director and actress, and has produced and researched several documentaries.
In 2006, Sandra graduated from the Arab Institute of Film and directed the short film Far Away from Here, a philosophical portrait of Jordanian writer Mohammad Tommaleih and his struggle with cancer. Her next film, Full Bloom, tells the story of a boxer named Faraj Darwish and his personal victory in the Arab Boxing Championship in Algeria, 2004. Sandra's third documentary, Perforated Memory, won the Scenario prize at Al Arabiya Channel Documentary Workshop in 2007.
As a documentary filmmaker, Sandra is fascinated by people and their environment. For her, each project is an adventurous undertaking that attempts to uncover a hidden human truth.
With a constant desire to shift preconceptions and question stereotypes, her films allow the audience to better understand others while reassessing themselves. Sandra is currently preparing for her new documentary Gaza Gaza, which will be shot in a number of Arab countries.
Standard Chartered – leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East
Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both London and Hong Kong stock exchanges, ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The London-headquartered Group has operated for over 150 years in some of the world's most dynamic markets, leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its income and profits have more than doubled over the last five years primarily as a result of organic growth and supplemented by acquisitions.
Standard Chartered aspires to be the best international bank for its customers across its markets. The Bank derives more than 90 per cent of its operating income and profits from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, generated from its Wholesale and Consumer Banking businesses. The Group has around 1,750 branches and outlets located in over 70 countries. The extraordinary growth of its markets and businesses creates exciting and challenging international career opportunities.
Leading by example to be the right partner for its stakeholders, the Group is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. It employs 75,000 people, nearly half of who are women. The Group's employees are of 115 nationalities, of which 60 are represented among senior management.
For more information, please visit: www.standardchartered.com