Michigan actor Brandon Layne portrays Stone Bank of Mountain View spokesperson the "Stone Ranger."
Who was that unmasked man, first seen mounted on a white steed named Savings and then sipping coffee outside Bruno’s Little Italy in downtown Little Rock?
Without a hearty hi-yo Silver, it’s the Stone Ranger, the new spokeshombre for Stone Bank of Mountain View, which is promoting its business services in Little Rock.
In full Western outfit, a yellow kerchief and a badge that turns out to be a bank logo, he’s modeled of course on Tonto’s favorite ke-mo sah-bee, but he’s actually Michigan actor and model Brandon Layne.
Savings is played by Roxie, a celebrated show horse who lives in Rosebud (White County).
They’re starring in commercials conceived by Kirby Williams, Neal Moore, Stephanie Alderdice and Dan Waymack. Williams is the bank’s EVP/chief marketing and retail banking officer. Moore and Alderdice are longtime advertising colleagues with SixtyOne Celsius, the Hot Springs marketing agency.
“It’s been a while since a bank in Little Rock has added levity to its message,” Williams said, adding that Waymack — the Waymack & Crew owner and a director of commercials for more than 30 years — has a knack for capturing humor on film. “We wanted to try something entirely different. The thrust of the campaign, which will also include print, radio and outdoor, is to promote the bank’s offering of free checking for businesses and our emphasis on being small-business focused.”
The “Your Small Business Is Our Big Deal” campaign began in the last week of August, with three 30-second commercials appearing through a Comcast algorithm. “It’s really the first time I’ve done a major media buy by algorithm, but we established who our demographic was that we were trying to reach, and what their tendencies would be,” Williams said, adding that central Arkansas is a target-rich audience.
In addition to TV and print, Stone Bank customers will also see the Ranger in life-size cutouts at the bank’s locations in Little Rock, White Hall, Harrison, Mountain View, DeWitt and Gillett.
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