The "Once Upon a Time" campaign by Bank of Georgia leverages a deep cultural connection with national fairy tales to reinforce the brand’s role as a custodian of community values and tradition in the modern financial landscape. By reviving childhood stories, the campaign positions the bank not only as a financial institution but as a contributor to social wellbeing, emphasizing its commitment to supporting future generations and nurturing curiosity and learning. This approach subtly links the brand’s promise of stability and long-term support with the emotional resonance of heritage and education.
Strategically, the campaign addresses a latent social issue: the lack of access to children’s books for half of Georgian children. This insight creates a meaningful emotional bridge, engaging both parents and adults who remember these tales from their own upbringing. The creative angle focuses on nostalgia and cultural heritage to evoke an emotional response, thereby fostering brand affinity through shared values rather than direct financial messaging. Targeting families and the broader community, the campaign situates the bank as a partner in cultural continuity and child development, which indirectly supports the brand’s credibility and trustworthiness in the finance sector. This blend of social responsibility with cultural storytelling exemplifies a nuanced content and digital media strategy tailored to engage Georgian audiences on a deeply personal level, reinforcing Bank of Georgia’s relevance beyond traditional banking services.
FORMAT#12 PARODY OR BORROWED FORMAT — Uses or parodies pop culture formats like films, shows, or genres.
This campaign is titled "Once Upon a Time" and directly references the traditional format and language of classic fairy tales—a motif deeply embedded in Georgian culture. The brand leverages the universally recognized narrative entry of fairy tales to connect with both adults and children, aiming to restore beloved childhood stories. Rather than following a story where the product is the central driver (which would indicate FORMAT#5), the campaign adopts the storytelling genre itself—the fairy tale—as its creative device, evoking nostalgia and cultural heritage. The entire campaign borrows the conventions, structure, and emotional resonance of fairy tales to position the Bank of Georgia as a restorer of magical childhood storytelling, rather than focusing on direct product demonstration or comparison.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. TBC Bank – Market Positioning
TBC Bank positions itself as Georgia’s most innovative and customer-centric bank, leveraging advanced digital banking solutions to simplify financial services. It focuses heavily on technology-driven convenience, targeting young professionals and digital natives with seamless mobile and online banking experiences.
2. Liberty Bank – Market Positioning
Liberty Bank emphasizes accessibility and financial inclusion, catering primarily to everyday consumers and small businesses across Georgia. Its strategy centers on extensive branch networks and affordable services, aiming to be the community’s most approachable and trustworthy financial partner.
3. VTB Bank Georgia – Market Positioning
VTB Bank Georgia differentiates through strong Russian and international financial ties, offering tailored services to corporate clients and affluent individuals. The bank highlights stability and cross-border banking expertise, appealing to businesses engaged in Eurasian markets.
4. ProCredit Bank Georgia – Market Positioning
ProCredit Bank focuses on sustainable and responsible banking, targeting SMEs and socially conscious customers. It positions itself as a supporter of green initiatives and entrepreneurship, promoting transparency and long-term partnerships with small and medium businesses.
5. Cartu Bank – Market Positioning
Cartu Bank leverages its association with the prominent Cartu Group to present itself as a modern, reliable bank with personalized services. It targets upper-middle-class and affluent customers, combining traditional banking values with selective innovation in retail and corporate banking.
Q: What is Once Upon a Time about?
A: Once Upon a Time is a campaign created by Hans & Gruber for Bank of Georgia in 2022, targeting the Georgian market. It addresses the social issue that half of Georgian children lack access to children’s books, thereby missing opportunities for learning and imagination. The campaign revives national fairy tales to spark curiosity among children and evoke nostalgia in adults, positioning the bank as a custodian of cultural heritage and community values. It combines content, design, and digital media to reconnect generations through storytelling while reinforcing the brand’s commitment to social wellbeing.
Q: What creative device does Once Upon a Time use?
A: Once Upon a Time employs the FORMAT#12 PARODY OR BORROWED FORMAT from Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy, which involves borrowing or parodying established pop culture formats. The campaign adopts the traditional structure and language of classic fairy tales, a deeply rooted motif in Georgian culture, as its central creative device. By using the universally recognized narrative entry of fairy tales, it evokes nostalgia and cultural heritage, positioning Bank of Georgia as a restorer of childhood storytelling rather than focusing on direct product promotion or comparison.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Once Upon a Time?
A: The campaign proposition for Once Upon a Time is that Bank of Georgia positions itself as a guardian of community values and tradition by reviving beloved childhood stories. It targets families and the broader Georgian community, emphasizing the bank’s role in supporting future generations through nurturing curiosity, learning, and cultural continuity. This approach links the brand’s promise of stability and long-term support with emotional resonance around heritage and education, thereby fostering brand affinity through shared social responsibility rather than direct financial messaging.
Q: How does Once Upon a Time rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Once Upon a Time holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 63/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive. The rating indicates the campaign’s thoughtful integration of storytelling tradition with modern digital media to engage Georgian audiences emotionally and intellectually, reinforcing Bank of Georgia’s role beyond conventional banking services.
Q: Who are the competitors in Bank of Georgia's category?
A: Bank of Georgia competes with several key players in the Georgian finance sector. TBC Bank positions itself as the most innovative and customer-centric bank, focusing on digital banking solutions for young professionals. Liberty Bank emphasizes accessibility and financial inclusion, targeting everyday consumers and small businesses with a broad branch network. VTB Bank Georgia differentiates through its Russian and international financial ties, appealing to corporate clients and affluent individuals. ProCredit Bank focuses on sustainable banking and supports SMEs and socially conscious customers. Cartu Bank leverages its association with the Cartu Group to offer personalized services to upper-middle-class and affluent clients.
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