• by Aaron Baar , January 13, 2011

Showing it has the knowledge to handle people's complex financial issues, Sovereign Bank uses a puzzle metaphor in a new television commercial.

The ad, developed by the bank's in-house advertising agency 601, and produced in association with Shooters, Inc. (and its DIVE visual effects division), depicts a wall made entirely of puzzle pieces. Throughout the commercial, actors push, pull, raise and change the size of missing puzzle pieces, illustrating how the company can help customize personal banking needs.

"There was a carefully concerted effort to bring all the elements together in preproduction and production," says Cris Andrei, Shooters executive producer, in a prepared statement touting the commercial. "A full day of rehearsals was used to ensure the correct timing of the prescribed sequence of actions which determined the story line."

Sovereign was founded in 1902 as an entity with a mission to help Pennsylvania's textile workers buy homes. The bank expanded into New York and New England in the early 2000s. In January 2009, it was acquired by Spain's Santander Group. The new commercial highlights this affiliation, using visual effects to show the Sovereign and Santander logos dropping in as the final two pieces of the puzzle.