Hunter people star in Hunter based building society TV campaign

Date: 09/01/08

Greater Building Society regional manager Kevin Buckley has no delusions of stardom but says he has had a brush with fame this week after appearing in the building society's new TV advertising campaign.

Kevin and three other Greater managers Kelly Keywood, David Bryde and Fiona Smith are the stars in a new series of Greater Building Society television adverts which went to air this week.

Kevin says he is surprised at how many people have recognised him from the adverts. The phone is running hot from friends and relatives saying they have seen him on TV.

Kevin is not complaining because potential customers are now coming to him in all manner of places. People have stopped him when buying coffee and in the stairwell of the Newcastle apartment block where he is living to ask him about home loans.

He says the fame has not gone to his head and there is no star on his office door.

The TV adverts feature the four managers being interviewed by local, former, TV journalist and presenter John Church. They were shot in the Greater's Hamilton Head Office using local production studio Concept Corporate Communications.


The Greater's advertising manager Leslea Milburn says in previous campaigns the Greater interviewed its customers but this time decided to talk to its managers.

“Outstanding customer service is what sets the Greater apart from its competitors so we wanted to emphasise the friendliness and openness of our managers,” Ms Milburn says.

John Church asks the managers all manner of questions including whether there is a catch to the Greater's highly successful free holiday program.

“It was a great process because we just sat our managers down with John Church and he quizzed them about the things customers would typically ask them,” she says.

Mr Buckley and his colleagues may also be recognised when they go on holiday. The adverts are running across the Greater's area of operations – from the South Coast of NSW through to the Gold Coast – for the next six weeks.