Before an audience of more than 200,000 active live accounts, which has multiplied over the hours thanks to social networks, Ana Botín has promoted Openbank to the popular content creator Speed. A spontaneous meeting in which the Executive President of Banco Santander has managed to find a marketing and communication opportunity to highlight her brand.

The moment occurred on July 14 during the match between France and Spain in one of the two semifinals of the Soccer World Cup and to which Botín attended as a spectator. He met the influencer in one of the stadium boxes, and after greeting him and introducing himself, he took the opportunity to publicize his business. With this, he sneaked into one of the broadcasts that the influencer has been doing during the tournament, and has given visibility to the digital bank before an international audience.

After presenting Banco Santander as “the JP Morgan of Europe“, Botín presented a favorable commercial message for his business, seeking to convince the influencer to become a client of Openbank, Santander’s digital bank. “You should open an account at Openbank, it covers a large amount“, the director told him, highlighting that the product offers 4% interest on your savings.

The moment lasted less than a minute, but it created a privileged space to promote both the Spanish brand, its differential values ​​and its products. The scene and the commercial occasion derived from it have generated a significant volume of conversation derived from the reactions of users and the echo that has been made by national and international media.

The professional audience analyzed the meeting and shared their reflections through LinkedIn where, in addition to Reason Why, other economic media such as Expansion, Business Insider either TheEconomisthave shared the news and accumulated hundreds of comments about it.

The network is witnessing a debate between different positions. Some professionals consider that the conversation is the reflection of an almost perfect business strategy and defend that the CEO should be the first to communicate, promote and sell the company’s products and services. Others, however, argue that Botín’s speech seems somewhat forced and that it leads to an embarrassing situation.

Among all of them, we highlight the comment of Antonio Ábalos, previously Vice President of Marketing at SkyShowtime for Europe and current CEO of the consultancy firm Amarillo Yellow, made in accordance with the publication of reason.Why. He thinks, in a humorous way, that “Like OpenAI, but Openbank” should be the tagline from now on, in reference to one of the phrases with which Botín explains the name of the brand to Speed ​​so that he remembers it.

A masterclass in sales?

In this line of theoretical reflection, LinkedIn has received dozens of original publications that offer a professional look at the viral moment between Ana Botín and Speed. For many users, like Juan Manuel López Zafra, they consider the meeting to be an example of leadership on the part of Ana Botín and an example of how no opportunity should be missed. “Push the brand to the limit and take advantage of opportunities. Only the greatest are capable”, he said.

The way in which the management’s speech is born from instinct has been valued, highlighting, as another professional, Javier Mateache Calderon, has pointed out, the importance of being aware of the commercial aspect of the business at all times to be at the top; as well as the spontaneity of the exchange. “I know founders who don’t message twenty users because it’s not scalable or who describe their product with proprietary vocabulary. Here the Walmart of Spain and the JP Morgan of Europe were trying to convince a 21-year-old young man to follow them”, he has analyzed.

The direct communication of the executive in her conversation with the creator has also been one of the aspects appreciated by professionals, some of whom have described the meeting as “sales masterclass“.”Impeccable timing, very clear, direct and unadorned message”, Covadonga Fernández pointed out.

However, there are professionals who consider that comparing Mercadona and Banco Santander with their supposed American analogues can result in a disadvantage for the brand by diluting its identity. “Comparing yourself can help you be understood quickly. But it can also dwarf your narrative. Because if your brand is only understood by analogy, the reference always seems bigger than you.”; commented another professional, Xabier Iglesias Juárez.

Understand the influence

The way in which Ana Botín understands the influence of Speed ​​and how it can benefit her brand has also been one of the points commented on by professionals. “They are two of the most powerful people in Europe, but Speed ​​has more followers than both of them combined. The distribution has reversed the organization chart. Who really had the power there?”said another user, Rubén Domínguez Ibar.

The video has been interpreted as a reflection of the inversion of hierarchies in the current market and derived, in part, from the new definition of influencer constructed from social networks and digital platforms. The moment is an example of how company communication is now born from the way brands integrate into people’s conversations and natural contexts.

Professionals applaud the way in which Ana Botín has included the brand in a context created for a specific and elusive audience for its category. She has the financial capital, but Speed ​​has the audience her business needs. “What you don’t have, and can’t easily buy, is a direct line to impressionable 20-year-olds who will choose their first bank in a few years and will probably never set foot in a branch to do so.”; explains another user, Siddharth Gupta, regarding this exchange of power.
“If you have the opportunity to make your product visible to millions of young people (a complicated target for traditional banking), you take advantage of it.”; commented another user, Sergio Oca Rodero.

The athlete, writer and trader, Josef Ajram has also made a publication in reference to the event. She highlights that the way Ana Botín approaches the meeting is part of a way of thinking that links to excellence, in which professionals are not obsessed with selling, but are trained to connect ideas, people and opportunities. “The extraordinary professional understands that any conversation can become a collaboration, any contact into a valuable relationship, and any moment into an opportunity for growth.”, he shared.

Ana Botín’s publication

The reactions to the moment have also been perceived on Instagram, where Ana Botín herself has contributed to boosting the visibility of the meeting by sharing the video on her social networks, accompanied by the message “What a game… and I hope at least one new Openbank client“At the time of publishing this news, the publication would accumulate almost 200,000 views and 6,000 likes.

The executive’s publication has aroused the opinions of users who, among other things, applaud Botín’s confidence and his ability to highlight the business even in that situation. They even suggest that Openbank or Banco Santander collaborate with IShowSpeed. “The best placed advertisement in the world“; one user has pointed out. Another points out: “Therein lies the difference between “marketing” and knowing how to read the game while it is being played. Genuine, agile and very well used“. They also highlight: “There is nothing more beautiful to see than a boss being the first salesperson of her company”.

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However, some users call the scene “shameful” and “inelegant”, and they correct the information provided by Botín, since, currently, the high-yield savings account to which the executive could be referring offers 3.80%.