Friday’s Ad Rip-Off: Eastern Bank v. PeoplesBank

Here we go again. An anonymous tipster told us a tale of two banks. It goes something like this: PeoplesBank brought in an agency after seeing the agency’s work on the above spot for Boston-based Eastern Bank. Truly, nothing says, “Boston rules. Give us your money,” like watching Doug Flutie‘s miracle Hail Mary touchdown pass for Boston College in 1984.

But, the plot thickens. PeoplesBank decides not to hire said agency, and then releases an eerily similar ad a little while later:

We ask, is this a case of an ad ripoff? Or, is this just another example of banks being banks, releasing ads showing the usual images of children having fun, someone exercising, a boat on a quiet lake, senior citizens smiling, women painting in the park and families doing family stuff? Until David Lynch starts directing commercials for mid-size banks, we may just be getting more of the same.

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