Now Is the time to maintain your bank's visibility.

• Position: Marketing News - Marketing and advertising in the financial services industry - Brief Article

What impact will the Sept. 11 attacks have on the marketing and advertising of financial services?

For one thing, it will make it more important than ever for local financial institutions to be visible, speculates Mark DeBellis, vice president of PSB, The Marketing Superstore in Lake Forest, Calif.

"You represent something that is real and tangible, in an industry that has increasingly become faceless and impersonal," DeBellis told an audience of bank marketers in October at the annual ABA Marketing Conference, which was held in Chicago. "Financial services has always been a local, people-oriented service business. Many of you are playing a positive role in your communities right now and this should continue."

DeBellis said that the attacks had made consumers skittish and preoccupied with their own personal safety. "I think what people are really asking for and looking for is peace of mind," he added. Family, friends and the local community have moved to the center of influence. Consumers indicate that they feel more comfortable now with what they know and trust. These facts are the basis for DeBellis's recommendation that local banks maintain a visible presence.

Here are some ways that banks can use this information in their promotion and advertising:

* Employ nostalgia in advertising messages. Nostalgia reminds people of happier times and helps them to relate to a more pleasant environment, DeBellis said. Familiar brands with familiar messages have been scoring well in...