Citizens Bank Green$ense Campaign Twists Logic

In what appears to be nothing more than slapping the Green label on Bank of America's Keep the Change program, Citizens Bank has launched the Green$ense Campaign which pays customers ten cents for every electronic transaction they make but only up to $10 per month and $120 per year. Even without the facade of "greenery, Bank of America gives up to $250 per year with its program. And people don't even have to be green to get the $250.

Of course it's all to motivate people to bank electronically which uses less paper which, yes, is an admirable "green" effort. But, seriously, the real reason any bank would motivate its customers to bank electronically is to cut overhead (by hiring fewer tellers) and increase profit.

With cutesy headlines like "Being eco-friendly just got eco-nomical" and "The environment is like a bank account. Every little bit helps," the campaign rolls out in print, radio, outdoor and television.

While the program may technically be an "industry first" in terms of its focus on the green as Citizens Bank claims, it's far from first when it comes to yet another tactic used by banks to lower overhead while appearing to be sensitive to people's pocket books and environmental beliefs.

Aside from the focus of the campaign and...OMG...another "industry first," a Green$ense Mastercard made out of recycled plastic, the program doesn't require anyone to actually be green. Anyone that uses the card will still get their $120 each year even if all they use the card for is to fill their big ass SUV with premium fuel.

This twist of logic comes courtesy of Arnold. The commercial is here and the print/outdoor ads are here, here and here.