DeSantis Breindel created the attention–grabbing global integrated campaign, which launched in March 2012 and focuses on portmanteaux – a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words.
“This campaign created a whole new vocabulary for describing the unparalleled diversity of expertise and products that CIT brings to its clients,” said Dru DeSantis, co-CEO of DeSantis Breindel. “We wanted to come up with something new and unexpected for them, something that truly reflects the unique and differentiated company that they are. We’re thrilled with this recognition from FCS.”
The ad campaign appeared in a variety of media, including print, mobile, web and radio. CIT employees were also encouraged to actively participate in the campaign and become brand ambassadors through a portmanteau creation contest. In the first 90 days, the contest resulted in over 350 word entries from employees in 17 offices from 9 countries around the world.
“The portmanteau concept has differentiated CIT from traditional bank advertising in the market today,” said Dan Infanti, SVP-Marketing and Advertising at CIT. “The campaign supports our focus on growth and creatively highlights the industry expertise that our executives and sales teams bring to our small business and middle market customers.”
Sample portmanteaux, and their definitions, utilized in the CIT campaign:
- 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
- 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
The Financial Communications Society Portfolio Awards recognizes excellence in financial advertising, collateral, digital media, public relations, and return on investment. Winning entries were received from financial services providers, including investment firms, credit card companies, investment banks, accounting firms, and commercial banks. See all the winners here.
About the Financial Communications Society (FCS)
The Financial Communications Society (FCS), a not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to improving professional standards in financial communications. It provides professionals in the industry with a forum for gathering relevant information, sharing ideas and building relationships with industry colleagues. The FCS hosts the annual FCS Portfolio Awards, for creative excellence in financial services advertising, a monthly luncheon series featuring prominent industry speakers, and numerous educational events. The capstone of the annual charity-focused activities organized by the FCS is the FCS Race for Kids (www.fcsraceforkids.org) which has raised more than $1.5 million for three children’s charities since 2000.
About CIT
Founded in 1908, CIT (NYSE: CIT) is a bank holding company with more than $35 billion in financing and leasing assets. It provides financing and leasing capital and advisory services to its clients and their customers across more than 30 industries. CIT maintains leadership positions in small business and middle market lending, factoring, retail finance, aerospace, equipment and rail leasing, and vendor finance. CIT also operates CIT Bank (Member FDIC), its primary bank subsidiary, which, through its online bank BankOnCIT.com, offers a suite of savings options designed to help customers achieve a range of financial goals. www.cit.com
