The 4 best mortgage ads of Fall 2016

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times - depending on who you were rooting for in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. However, in spite of the financial uncertainties leading up to and certainly after the election of Donald J. Trump, banks and fintechs around the world continue to hawk their loans. And why wouldn’t they? After all, October through January is usually when financial services bounce back from the doldrums of summer.

In spite of the fact that home sales typically begin to contract in September and don’t really start to pick up until March, in Autumn 2016 mortgage providers came up up with some really clever video ads that made purchasing a mortgage look easy -- and attractive.

Bank of Ireland

We’re indebted to Ad of the Week for bringing this video campaign to our attention. The bank’s two videos for its mortgage products, one featuring a singing sandwich, the other a singing, fur-covered toilet, manage to cram a whole lot of story into just 30 seconds worth of screen time. The ads are also able to succinctly explain the products and their potential benefits within that short time frame.

Aussie

Australian home lender and mortgage broker Aussie made it onto our list of Summer 2016’s 4 best loan ads with its inviting, bright depiction of dozens of mortgage brokers competing (politely) to help a picture-perfect family take out the right home loan. The company, which matches customers with the 20 home loan lenders on its marketplace, used the same TV ad template in October to help a beautiful couple get the best home refinancing option.

And while it’s basically a reprisal of the first ad, there’s also a message of consistency in the repetition: Aussie is always that eager to help customers land the best home loan deal.

UniCredit Bulbank

The Bulgarian bank went all out with its October mortgage ad, which documents a couple fantasizing about a house they’re touring. That’s fantasy with a capital F: the woman dangles from a cutout moon, the man plays a piano to the accompaniment of a golden-clad choir. But then, that’s what the bank wants its customers to focus on: “We will take care of the formalities, so you could enjoy the emotion.”

Or at least, that’s what the subtitles say.

State Bank of India

Yes, we know, we’ve gone for a non-English language ad again. Nevertheless, while you may not know the terms of the mortgage, this October ad brilliantly captures the wonderment of home ownership through the eyes of children. Warning: the kids in this ad are pretty cute; you may be tempted to apply to SBI for a mortgage, even if you don’t live in India.