Goldman Sachs Rolls Out Apology (Ad Campaign), Explaining Al

"Progress is Everyone's Business."

So reads Goldman Sachs' new print advertising campaign, launched today in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in hopes of getting some Main Street on the bank's side after it's served as Wall Street whipping boy for the better part of the past year.

The full-page ads include "a photo of a field of wind turbines under a cloudy sky juxtaposed with a picture of a smiling man in a hard hat and work clothes," describing "how the firm helped an unidentified renewable energy company find investors, enabling it to expand and create jobs."

The slogan and ad, created with the help of advertisting firm Young & Rubicam, while not cringe-worthy, comes damn near close. Still, the campaign is better than the alternatives that "Progress is Everyone's Business" beat: "Doing God's Work, One Day at a Time," "We're Not Vampire Squids, or Sharks, Just Think of Us As Rather Robust Lake Trout," "Our Business is Nobody's Business But Our Own, and Maybe Our Shareholders', But Definitely Not Yours," "Making Money the New Way: By the Billions!," "Don't Hate Us Because We're Beautiful and Rich," "Goldman Hearts Main Street," "Goldman Hearts Wind Turbines," "Goldman Brakes For Grandmothers," and "Goldman Sachs Hearts You!"

Goldman's new campaign also reminds me of a previous ITB post, the best and worst advertising slogans in modern banking history.