It was 1970 when California’s Crocker-Citizens National Bank realized it had a problem with name recognition. The bank ran an advertising campaign for its checking account in the 1960s, and was discouraged to learn that some potential customers saw the ads and called competitors also named “Citizens.” After a series of mergers and name changes, people had trouble distinguishing it from other banks. Some people recognized the Crocker name but remembered it for its commercial and trust services. They saw it as a bank for businesses, not households. Over time, Crocker had become a bank fixated on retail banking. It had been investing in innovative services like credit card accounts and colorful checks with lines of credit. It opened and expanded its branch network to have 280 offices across California. This was in response to California’s growth; it became the most populous state in the nation in 1970.

The family tree of all banks and mergers for Crocker-Citizens National Bank by 1970. Within a year, it changed its name again to Crocker National Bank.
Photo Credit: Wells Fargo Corporate Archives.

Crocker had more than 1.3 million deposit accounts in the competitive California market, but it knew it needed to attract new customers to survive. A large cohort of baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) were growing up and needed their first car loans, mortgages, and savings accounts. It had a lot of work to do to convince customers that it was a new bank with the services people needed.

Crocker turned to its advertising agency to create an ad campaign that would attract younger customers. The agency appointed Hal Riney to figure it out. While later recognized as one of the best advertising executives of his time, Riney was just starting out his career. He had a vision for a new kind of commercial: a warm, storytelling video with a song and the bank’s name, with no additional product information

In a 2009 documentary, “Art and Copy,” Riney remembered the moment he pitched his idea: “So I went to the president of the bank, and I said, ‘You know, I think what we ought to do is we ought to take some of your money and go out and get a whole bunch of songwriters to write a song about young people and their lives and how their lives are changing and things like that. And I can’t tell you what the song is, because I’m not a songwriter. And I can’t even tell you what the commercials are, because I can’t tell you that until we do the song.’ He said, ‘That’s pretty vague …’”

Despite any misgivings, the bank went ahead with Riney’s creative vision.

Riney hired songwriter Paul Williams and music composer Roger Nichols. Despite what he told Crocker management, Riney’s ad team had already created a slogan and focus for the commercial. Williams and Nichols were given the slogan — “You’ve got a long way to go. We’d like to help you get there” — and an explanation that the commercial would feature a couple getting married. They wrote the music and lyrics in an afternoon.

The cover of Crocker Bank’s hit song. The bank used the vinyl single as a promotional giveaway. Photo Credit: Wells Fargo Corporate Archives. 

The commercial launched in 1970 and became an immediate hit. Branches were flooded with requests to use the song at weddings and graduations. Deposits and loan volume increased. Brand recognition improved with younger customers. The ad’s success was credited with its simplicity. By using no product or service announcement, it was a revolutionary new type of commercial. It focused on the customer, not the bank. As Williams reflected at the time: “We added a song, not a sales pitch. And the song has universal appeal. … It says something meaningful to people, regardless of time.”

The commercial caught the attention of one young man, singer Richard Carpenter. In 1970, he asked Williams and Nichols for the music. On Sept. 12, 1970, the Carpenters released their album “All of My Life” which included a version of “We’ve Only Just Begun,” sung by Karen Carpenter, that peaked at No. 2 on the charts in November 1970.

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“We’ve Only Just Begun” was a turning point song for almost everyone involved. Its popularity helped the Carpenters win the Best New Artist Grammy in 1971. It was the first hit single for Williams, who went on to have a long list of popular songs, including “Rainbow Connection” for The Muppets and “You and Me Against the World.” Nichols went on to become a Grammy Award-winning engineer and music producer.

The song had a lasting legacy for the bank as well. While the commercial only ran for a short period in California markets, people across the nation remembered the song and its connection to Crocker Bank for years.

Where does ‘Crocker’ come from?

Charles Crocker is best known for his role as one of the “Big Four” investors in the Central Pacific Railroad, the western half of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. He was also a banker. He served as president of the First National Gold Bank of San Francisco from 1876 to 1883. Then he decided to open his own private bank with a group of investors. Started in 1883 with $500,000 capital, Crocker-Woolworth & Company went on to become one of San Francisco’s leading commercial banks. In 1986, Crocker Bank merged with Wells Fargo.

“We’ve Only Just Begun” commercial for Crocker Bank. Photo Credit: Wells Fargo Corporate Archives.