Ecobank, Why This Costly Joker -‘Sending You Hope This Easter’?

BY CAMI EZENWA

Imagine if you had been a strong advocate of a financial institution in many spheres, and then see a message of the above tone in your personal inbox from them?

Certainly, you would begin to search for your dancing shoes, no matter how disheveled and weather-beaten now, and irrespective of the extent of pummeling that these unusual times had dealt you.

Permit me, the word bank always conjures some phenomenon of affluence, cash and grandeur, and add to this, should be “Sending you Hope This Easter”, you can now understand my unusual elation.

In my years of active journalism practice, banks have always ranked high as most-media friendly in the hierarchy of reputable corporate organisations. It is most-journalists-preferred beat stations, and it is not about the fact that that is where cash, real cash is stashed or domiciled.

It could be either banks’ own caches of cash, or the staggering billions held in trust for other plum organisations, the point is just that bank beats were just it.

It is also because banks have always, sorry, usually had very proactive, very diligent and professional personnel in their Media Relations, Corporate Affairs or Corporate Communications Departments as the case may be, and

they usually make the difference interfacing with media people.

It is beyond the ever-ready coffee corners in the Corporate Affairs Manager’s office, the ever-loaded refrigerators, and when leaving, the assured excursions to the corporate corridors that terminates with a memorable handshake , whatever, the point is just that the banks have always been it for many a newshounds, your sincerely inclusive.

You can now understand my excitement yesterday, when that message welcomed me to a personal inbox yesterday.

Quickly, I remembered how I had persuaded many in my circle, to prefer Ecobank, shortly after I had gone to open an account with the Allen Branch and got really impressed by the counter services I got.

I also remembered very promptly, chanced meetings with some corporate affairs fellows connected with the bank, and then, the bank-related stories and analysis in the course of my journalistic sojourn at the Daily Times, Financial Standard, Daily Independent and The Eagle just currently. I was sure I had tried..

And possibly, the bank, yes, my corporate affairs fellows at the bank have risen to the occasion; have now remembered me, and are out to reciprocate or even if it is, show a goodwill that can never be quantified in financial terms.

But lo and behold, it was the message below that I met..

The message that came instead

I leave you to conclude what my mood for the rest of the day has been.