CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) cit.com, a leading provider of financing to small businesses and middle market companies, today launched a new global integrated advertising campaign (cit.com/advertising) designed to highlight the Company’s focus on growth, while promoting its industry expertise and commitment to the small business and middle market sectors. The attention-grabbing campaign, based on unexpected combinations of words, or “portmanteaux,” will appear in a variety of media, including print, mobile, Web and radio. It was created by DeSantis Breindel, a B2B branding and marketing firm based in New York City.
“Our new integrated global advertising campaign supports our focus on growth in 2012 and creatively highlights the industry expertise that our executives bring to our customers,” said Margaret D. Tutwiler, Executive Vice President and Head of Communications & Government Relations at CIT. “The portmanteau concept will differentiate CIT from traditional bank advertising in the market today. As small business owners and middle market executives focus on growing and building momentum in their local markets, we want them to think ‘growmentum’ – one of the new portmanteau words we’re featuring in headlines – and the company that can help them achieve their goals – CIT.”
Dru DeSantis, Co-Founder of DeSantis Breindel, said, “CIT brings such a diversity of expertise and products to its clients, we felt we needed to invent a new vocabulary to describe all that they do. This campaign reflects a unique and differentiated company that truly understands what it takes to grow a business in today’s economy.”
Campaign Elements
The CIT global integrated advertising campaign will initially include over 25 corporate and industry-specific print advertisements, as well as a wide array of targeted online and mobile banner advertisements. CIT advertisements will run throughout the United States, and in select countries within Europe, Asia and Latin America. The planned 2012 media spend for the new campaign, while not disclosed, is an increase from prior years. Media will include:
- More than 40 industry trade publications and digital newsletters
- Influential Washington, D.C.-based media such as Politico, Roll Call and The Hill
- High-profile business Web sites including The New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, Barron’s and Bloomberg BusinessWeek
- iPad apps, such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money and CNBC, and The Economist
- Bloomberg Radio
The creative concept will also be incorporated into consumer advertising for CIT Bank (BankOnCIT.com), an online bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of CIT. CIT Bank advertising will run throughout the year.
In Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll first used the word portmanteau, which at the time meant a suitcase, to signify a word created by blending sounds from two or more words — creating a new word that combines the meaning of the other two. Sample portmanteaux, and their definitions, that will be utilized in the CIT campaign include:
- Growmentum [groh-men-tuhm] Strong momentum generated by innovative financing solutions and deep insights from CIT
- Dealpertise [deel-per-teez] Expertise from CIT in developing customized lending, leasing and advisory solutions for middle market companies
- Sblending [sblen-ding] Small business lending based on the deep experience and expertise of CIT
- Retailpertise [ree-teyl-per-teez] Retail expertise that a supplier has when factored by CIT, knowing it can ship to retailers with confidence
- Nonstopportunity [non-stop-er-too-ni-tee] The nonstop opportunity created by customized aircraft financing and leasing programs from CIT
- Techonomics [tek-o-nom-iks] Expertise employed by CIT to design tailored, economical leasing and financing programs for small and middle market companies for technology equipment
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Individuals interested in viewing elements of the new global integrated advertising campaign can visit cit.com/advertising.
