Barbara were just putting you on hold

David Walker

Barbara, the ANZ's bank manager from hell, is off the air. The bank confirmed this week that after the March sacking of her creators, ad agency M&C Saatchi Melbourne, the red-headed terror was "on hold" and "no longer in circulation".

Instead, ANZ is promoting its home loan product with a version of its 2008 advertising featuring entertainer Tony Barber while new agency Whybin TBWA builds a new campaign.

"The creative concept that we're working on with Whybin TBWA, it's true to say, does not include Barbara," said media spokesman Stephen Ries yesterday. The bank would retain the "We live In Your World" message of the Barbara campaigns but was now "moving in a diffferent direction".

While widely acclaimed for their iconic central character, the "Barbara" ads created challenges for the bank. The claimed gap between ANZ service standards and those of its rivals was not always obvious. Advocacy group GetUp! launched an online anti-bank video parody; and news reports. And when in November the ANZ hiked its flagship home loan rate by more than the RBA's rate rise, news reports contrasted the "Barbara" ads with the bank's pursuit of higher profits.

The ANZ's Ries did however leave a sliver of hope for Barbara fans when asked about the chances of a return, remarking: "Never say never".