PNC Bank has launched its ‘Brilliant Ben Franklinisms’ campaign across paid and organic social media, using a modern-day Benjamin Franklin to share humorous financial advice.
The bank has rolled out a campaign across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn, featuring an animated video of Benjamin Franklin brought to life on a $100 bill.
In the videos, Franklin puts a humorous spin on classic financial sayings, turning them into practical advice for today’s world.
In one example, he quips: “Remember, money doesn’t grow on trees. Unless you own an orchard of olive trees, press the olive into oil and wholesale it. That would be an exception.”
Other topics range from protecting your savings and sticking to a budget, to resisting the urge to marry for money or keep up with the Joneses.
It also takes a tongue-in-cheek look at modern habits, with Franklin noting that late-night pizza orders don’t quite align with his famous maxim: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
Each video closes with the tagline “PNC Bank. Brilliantly boring since 1865,” a nod to the bank’s longstanding heritage dating back to the founding of Pittsburgh Trust and Savings Company, the institution that would eventually become Pittsburgh National Bank.
The campaign builds on PNC’s ongoing ‘Brilliantly Boring’ brand platform, which emphasises the value of consistency and responsibility in a financial landscape often driven by hype, shortcuts and risky decisions.
The brand platform was originally launched in 2024 and introduced a distinctive tone of voice for the bank, which aims to set it apart within the sector.