PNC Bank has taken two major marketing steps, rebranding its consumer brokerage business and rolling out the latest chapter of its ‘Brilliantly Boring Since 1865’ brand campaign.
The bank has renamed PNC Investments as PNC Wealth Management to better reflect the firm’s growth, broadened capabilities, and commitment to providing comprehensive financial solutions to clients.
The new name is intended to convey the bank’s broader range of services, signalling that its offerings extend beyond traditional investment products to include financial planning, insurance and, through PNC Bank, banking and lending solutions.
The change also underscores a client-focused approach. By adopting the term ‘wealth management,’ PNC aims to align more closely with how clients perceive their financial needs, considering their entire financial lives rather than just investment portfolios.
Beyond branding, the shift signals PNC’s strategic intent to expand its business beyond investment solutions, positioning the firm for long-term growth across multiple areas of financial services.
Beyond the rebrand, PNC Bank has also launched the ‘If Risky Investments Were People’ social campaign, which builds on its ‘Brilliantly Boring Since 1865’ brand platform.
The campaign is designed to position PNC Bank as a safe, dependable alternative to get-rich-quick schemes, using humour to showcase just how absurd some speculative investments can be, while reinforcing that the bank’s steady approach continues to deliver results.
The social campaign brings risky investments to life through the concepts of collectibles and NFTs.
One spot features a porcelain collector’s doll, which says: “Aren’t I a pretty little dust collector? Invest in me now, and if demand picks up, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. Well, one of us will be laughing.”
The NFT execution features a pixelated banana in a tuxedo, asking: “Tired of investing in tangible assets? Nothing says you’ve made it like a one-of-a-kind image of a banana in a tuxedo—unless the market bubble bursts and I become worthless. But when has that ever happened?”
Both executions close with puns warning consumers about the perils of chasing risky investments, including “Don’t get shelved by risky money moves” for the collectibles and “Don’t get peeled by risky money moves” for the NFT banana.
Through witty messaging and culturally relevant visuals, the campaign reinforces the bank’s core message that stability and smarter financial choices may not be flashy, but they stand the test of time.
The previous chapter of PNC Bank’s ‘Brilliantly Boring Since 1865’ campaign took a similarly witty approach, featuring an animated Benjamin Franklin brought to life on a $100 bill.
In the videos, Franklin adds a humorous twist to classic financial sayings, transforming them into practical advice for modern-day money management.