Bank of America Plus History Channel Equals Brilliant Marketing Concept

But in watching their new series, “America, The Story of Us,” there’s more than an interesting survey of American history. There’s a great lesson in advertising too. First, broadly speaking, there are two kinds of marketing:

1. Interruptions—This includes 99% of television and radio commercials, pop up ads, direct mail, the overwhelming majority email marketing, etc. I’m not saying these can’t work, but they have to try a lot harder.

2. Integration—These are the methods that get through the filters, that circumvent human beings' aversion to be sold. When done right, integration can be applied with strokes of genius. Far and away, the most effective marketing and advertising integrates itself into our experiences. The things that interrupt us almost certainly get ignored.

Integrating into the viewer experience

Bank of America has effectively integrated its brand into viewers’ experience with sponsorship of the History Channel’s ads for their major new 12-part series. Here’s a link to a promo for the series. The delivery is two-minute commercial spots. That may sound like an extra couple of clicks of fast forward on the DVR, but these aren’t your standard fare commercials. Even if it wasn’t live, I still would have watched the commercials. They were integrated seamlessly, relevant and compelling. The big three of effective advertising.

These are spots that look and feel like the documentary-style continuation of America, The Story of Us. They highlight the bank’s own lengthy American story and tie it into the period of time being profiled in each episode. A bit of a stretch when compared with American revolutionaries and pioneers? Sure, but it still gets your attention. The first spot focuses on Massachusetts Bank, fittingly enough. Did you know it was founded shortly after the revolutionary period as America’s first state-chartered bank? See how we integrated a little history into the marketing article… During the premier of Sunday’s episode which featured Western pioneers, the first commercial spots were dedicated entirely to the Bank of America mini-documentaries. The show almost had that “commercial free” feel.

The timing of this sponsorship probably isn’t accidental for the smart people at Bank of America. This bank, you may know, is a casualty of the North American financial crisis and a beneficiary of the Obama Administration’s controversial government bailout. The Economist reported recently that 53% of Americans polled had an unfavorable opinion of Bank of America. Only 29% had a favorable opinion. They could use a little positive exposure. According to BusinessWeek.com, the spots will tell us how the bank backed quintessential American projects like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Erie Canal. Sweet. Thanks, guys.

At what cost?

The Los Angeles Times reports that, according to BusinessWeek, the deal is worth $4 million. Insert your observation about government bailout dollars here. Of course, not everyone loves this approach: History Channel Story of Us is the Story of Them

But then again, not everyone works in marketing. How effective will this be at buffing Bank of America’s tarnished image and delivering back that $4 million ROI? That remains to be seen. But the approach is well conceived. Granted, the people who watch The History Channel probably have a bit longer attention spans than your average television viewer, though I think I must be an exception. Sure, these documentary-like spots will get old before the twelfth and final episode. They’ll lose their seamless integration and won’t be as compelling. And many are bound to not feel so relevant. But so far so good.