Making mountains out of molehills.

• Author: Motley, L. Biff
• Position: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

WE'VE ALL SEEN THE BLIZZARD OF ALLY BANK COMMERCIALS featuring kids being exploited by a self-serving adult. The scenarios, such as the "Egg Management Fee" and the "He's Newer than You," poke fun at irritating banking pricing practices that undoubtedly surfaced during focus groups conducted to help Ally overcome its disadvantages of online-only banking.

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This is classic advertising "positioning" where the strategy is not so much to brag about yourself but rather to "reposition" the competition. A recent review of Ally's advertising by the personal finance blog MoneyNing suggests that while not everybody "gets it," most feel its strikes a chord. Here's one quote from the blog:

"That is the whole point about their truly excellent advertisements ... they are NOT going to do what the guy on the ad is doing ... that is ... not telling you about fees/rules/changes that are harmful or discriminatory to you ... not keeping information from you ... not using deceptive practices for their own gain. ..."

While seeing these commercials annoys me, it also reminds me of the importance of understanding, focusing on, refining and communicating our strengths.

Banking industry-sponsored marketing research shows repeatedly that while consumers and small-business clients find some pricing and operational practices annoying, they very much like their neighborhood bankers, if they have one. They especially like those small, personal services that help them avoid or recover from financial missteps.

A re-examination of the "Four Ps of Marketing": Products, Pricing, Promotion, and Placement (Distribution), should help focus attention on those elements of the mix that should be featured in your ads versus those that may require some rework. Here are some practices you might consider to gain a new focus on your marketing strategy during times like these:

First, connect with your customers. Listen...