All the analysed campaigns emphasise a distinctive aesthetic that differentiates each brand and constructs its social narrative. This identity dimension of the discourse allows brands to distinguish themselves from one another while positioning within the same social space. Through this process, brands are legitimised as guarantors of social causes, purposes, and topics in the eyes of consumers. Each brand adopts a unique style and tone, personalising its aesthetic according to the communication strategy used in each campaign.

An individual communication format is developed within each organisation, employing a variety of content types. It is common to find campaigns that blend testimonial advertising, in-depth television interviews, documentaries, short films, musical spots, or formats mimicking a Masterclass.

Examples of programmes with recognisable aesthetics include:

The interview format appears frequently across most brands. For instance, “Entrevistas por Julia Otero” showcases an interview between filmmaker J.A. Bayona and journalist Julia Otero, illustrating the aesthetic construction of this audiovisual style (source: see “Entrevistas por Julia Otero,” Banco Sabadell).¹

Education and learning serve as two key pillars underpinning the most representative campaigns within this narrative. Initiatives such as “#AprendemosJuntos” (BBVA), UNIVERSIA (Banco Santander), and “EduCaixa TV. El Observatorio de lo Social” (La Caixa) engage in numerous actions where education becomes the central concept that ensures the brand’s commitment to building more “trained” societies.

The diversity of actions and voices (opinion leaders) employed reflects a plural approach to education, both in subject matter and perspectives. However, the campaigns share a unified advertising promise: the promotion of common learning as a social guarantee, fostering a better future led by the educational community. This approach advocates open access to knowledge as the axis of social development, embracing the diversity of voices that act as influencers of each communication initiative.

Through these actions, banking brands adopt education and knowledge as central themes to develop their corporate communication strategies, expressed through advertising narratives. For example, the title of EduCaixa TV’s channel reads: “Creer es crear.” In these campaigns, the brands position themselves as agents of social cohesion during uncertain times. They offer their communities corporate narratives grounded in concepts such as future, challenge, adversity, overcoming, courage, thought, dialogue, humanism, resilience, conflict, commitment, work, diversity, sustainability, childhood, adolescence, and youth.

Ultimately, these campaigns convey a promise to build future societies committed to education (source: see “El mundo del mañana depende de la educación de hoy,” La Caixa Foundation).²

The presence of corporate social discourse in banking brands relies heavily on collaboration with influential voices, reflecting a commitment to the aesthetic of dialogue. These influencers are recognised for their prestige and expertise in their respective fields. For instance, Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón, a YouTuber from the channel Derivando and host of the TVE programme Órbita Laika, collaborates with BBVA (Source: see “¿Para qué sirven las matemáticas?” Aprendemos Juntos, BBVA).³

Different formulas can be identified when it comes to shaping the content according to a thematical or audience-oriented segmentation. For example:

The presence of influencers plays a crucial role in shaping the aesthetic of these strategies and legitimising their narratives. High-profile figures such as David Trueba, Elsa Punset, Yuval Noah Harari, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Michael Sandel, and Ricardo Darín participate in campaigns like #AprendemosJuntos (BBVA), (R)evolución Educativa (EduCaixa TV), and El Observatorio de lo Social (La Caixa). These persons are legitimised by their social reputation, professional success, or expertise, making them authoritative voices in the campaigns.

However, the narrative appeal of these persons extends beyond their knowledge or expertise. Their personalities, life stories, successes, failures, experiences, and opinions become central elements of the campaigns. One notable example is Rafa Nadal. In the campaign “Cerca. Una conversación privada entre Rafa Nadal & John Carlin,” Nadal’s presence exemplifies a social narrative grounded in the social success of the influencer.

In this case, the focus is not on education but on recognising Nadal as a model of social behaviour, leadership, and inspiration—a role model for achieving professional goals who is also portrayed as a committed citizen. The conversation explores how technology contributes to the influencers’ social lives. As described by the brand, the dialogue is “timeless and placeless,” reinforcing the aesthetic of social advertising through dialogue and success.

Young people play a central role in campaigns aimed at constructing future-oriented narratives. Banco Santander’s “Porque tú, porque te, por ti, los primeros” (2021) portrays a new working class driven by effort, enthusiasm, concern, and perseverance. In this campaign, the bank positioned itself as a supporter of projects that represent the future of this entrepreneurial class. However, the defining characteristic was not age, but commitment to oneself and one’s goals. While youth was not the protagonist of the narrative, it served as a reference point for shaping the future through social responsibility and engagement.

Youth plays a key role in several analysed campaigns, reflecting the banks’ commitment to the future. Campaigns such as “Nómadas” (ING) and “Tus cuentas de rap a balada” (Bankinter) delve into socially oriented financial narratives that resonate with younger audiences. This emphasis allows banking brands to project youth as a symbol of social progress and innovation.

In “Tus cuentas de rap a balada,” Bankinter explores the complex relationship between youth and money, in line with the brand’s slogan: “El banco que ve el dinero como lo ves tú.” The campaign uses rap and ballad music genres as metaphors for how young people interpret their dependence on money to shape their identity and lifestyle.

“Nómadas” documentary by ING offers a more complex portrayal of 21st-century “native” youth and workers. It highlights how this generation faces labour and social uncertainty. The documentary is a sequence of life stories and testimonies, which represent a kaleidoscopic view that builds a social narrative defined by uncertainty, instability, adaptation, individuality, identity and breaking away from traditional social norms that define the work and human relations. Furthermore, it portrays a particular view of love, work, family, and marriage.

Employment is portrayed not merely as a source of income, but as an aspiration for personal development and a desire to work with passion (Source: see “Nómadas,” ING).⁴ However, the documentary also reveals the disillusionment many young people experience with the reality of the labour market. Even those with high qualifications often accept jobs outside their field, driven by dignity rather than fulfilment, while still striving to evolve and build a better social future.

The portrayal of youth as a social reference in the corporate discourse of banks addresses the fragility of the contemporary economic system, which endangers social structures and the daily lives of individuals. This narrative highlights the vulnerability of the system and the need for institutional intervention to correct its failures, which impact society and its citizens. Elements such as motherhood, marriage, homeownership, and employment are presented as pillars that define the citizen’s life.

Bankinter’s strategy, launched in 2020 under the slogan “El banco que ve el dinero como lo ves tú” continues to shape its campaigns. The first advertisement reinterpreted traditional banking promises tied to products such as loans, mortgages, salaries, interest rates, and APR, particularly in the exceptional context of the COVID-19 crisis. The campaign shifted focus from these benefits to a more institutional narrative, presenting the bank as a “social” institution concerned with both its relationship with consumers and the relationships among those consumers. It emphasised the risk of people losing the fundamental elements that structure their social lives.

This collective experience of suffering reframed money as an instrument for social construction, where its loss carries the risk of exclusion. Bankinter’s 2022 campaign, “Don Dinero,” continues this narrative, focusing on economic challenges linked to rising costs and their impact on daily life. In this context, money becomes essential for survival, and the bank is framed as a builder of social well-being. Campaign messages reflect this focus: “The real way to see money is how ordinary people see it, through the problems stemming from rising grocery costs, electricity bills, inflation, petrol, or mortgage payments.” Through musical clips, the campaign’s song lyrics narrate the social risks threatening people’s lives, creating a relatable and emotional connection with audiences. (Source: See “Una Historia de progreso,” Bankinter).⁵

In response to the risk of social exclusion, banks position themselves as integrative and inclusive institutions. While the previously analysed campaigns reflect this dimension, additional initiatives reinforce this narrative. Campaigns like “Voces del progreso” and CaixaBank’s “#InconformistasDelDeporte” use real-life stories of perseverance, collaboration, and the creation of opportunities to promote social advancement. “Voces del progreso” aims to contribute to a better world by conveying the message: “Progress is only progress if we all progress.” This initiative aligns with CaixaBank’s sponsorship of the Spanish Paralympic team, reflecting a commitment to collective advancement. Similarly, “#InconformistasDelDeporte” shares the personal stories of Spanish Paralympic athletes, emphasising overcoming challenges and presenting sport as a platform for promoting social inclusion.

Through these narratives, banks present themselves as supporters that include diversity, portraying it as valuable when it comes to recognising talent. The campaigns convey the message: “Let us learn to see talent beyond barriers.” These efforts highlight the bank’s role in supporting equal opportunities, with diversity framed as a form of talent to be celebrated (Source: see “#InconformistasDelDeporte: Ricardo Ten, Paralympic Athlete,” CaixaBank).⁶

The Fundación Innovación Bankinter is a Think tank directly associated with the Bankinter financial institution. Its primary focus is the analysis of social issues through innovation in areas impacting the economy, education, and business. According to the foundation, these activities are grouped into four key areas:

The news and videos produced by this think tank are generated from initiatives within these four areas.

Future Trends Forum publishes the annual “Megatrends” report, centred on innovation. This report draws insights from experts across various fields. The news created from this report cover topics such as:

The Think Tank’s social content primarily emerges from the Future Trends Forum and Akademia programmes. However, the news section of its website is limited, containing only 10 entries. As a result, the analysis focuses on the 170 videos published on the foundation’s YouTube channel between 2022 and 2023.

Of these videos, 52% address social topics across the following three main areas:

Education, Science, Technology, and Humanity: This area accounts for the largest volume of content, mainly tied to the Akademia programme. It offers a humanistic, scientific, and educational perspective on topics such as: Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, neuroscience, ethics and technology, health, mobility, cybersecurity, and others.

FUNCAS is a think tank specialised in economic and social research. It operates as part of the social responsibility division of CECA, the governing body representing savings banks and savings institutions. CECA’s members include CaixaBank, Unicaja Banco, ABANCA Corporación Bancaria, Ibercaja Banco, Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Ontinyent – Caixa Ontinyent, Colonya Caixa d’Estalvis de Pollença, and Cecabank.

An analysis of FUNCAS’s website structure highlights the significance of its social research efforts. The institution’s research is divided into three main areas:

The Social Issues area is further divided into two sections:

This organisational structure reflects how FUNCAS organises its social research into content that is later shared as news or corporate videos. Its press section gathers these outputs as part of its communication strategy to remain relevant in media reporting.

An analysis of FUNCAS’s news section reveals that the number of social-related articles remained consistent between 2022 and 2023. Of the total news items published during these 2 years, 37% addressed social topics. These topics can be grouped into the following general categories (these do not appear on the institution’s website, they are proposed for this analysis):

This Think Tank’s audiovisual content analysis focuses itself on the videos shared on the “En Clave Social” section that FUNCAS presents on their YouTube channel. This section features 23 corporate documentaries, classified into the following thematic areas: 1.Education and Technology; 2. Labour Market; 3. Vulnerability.

Each video follows a similar structure, addressing social challenges that shape the present and future of Spanish society, with a focus on specific population groups.

FUNCAS’s documentaries reveal three important aspects of its corporate communication strategy:

FEDEA receives support from several economic institutions, including Banco de España, CaixaBank, Santander, BBVA, Sabadell, and Fundación Unicaja—all relevant to this study. The think tank defines itself as an institution committed to positively influencing society through research in social and economic issues. Its mission is to influence public discourse through the dissemination of research findings.

FEDEA divides its research into thematic areas, including:

While these categories cover a broad spectrum, an analysis of the “Current Affairs” section reveals that FEDEA’s work prioritises specific topics.

In 2023, the foundation was cited in 850 news articles as the main source of the news. However, only four of these articles focused on education, science, or research, while the majority dealt with economic policies related to unemployment and pensions. This reflects the think tank’s focus on economic issues, at least during the period under review.

A deeper look into the “Actualidad FEDEA” section (covering 2016 to 2024) shows that the think tank published:

This distribution demonstrates that economic topics dominate FEDEA’s research output. The same focus on economics is reflected in FEDEA’s audiovisual content. The “Socialfedea” YouTube channel features videos exclusively covering economic topics, such as:

While FEDEA was selected for this study based on the established criteria, the analysis shows that the think tank’s engagement with social issues from a media communication perspective is heavily filtered through an economic lens. FEDEA’s reports and studies maintain a strong presence in the media, particularly on economic management and policy topics that shape the main areas of the news. Other social topics such as education, immigration, and labour market integration are addressed only from an economic or political perspective, lacking independent focus on their social dimensions.