Rhetoric in times of crises: How financial institutions try to restore confidence

In the current climate of financial crisis many people do not trust banks anymore. In reaction to this financial institutions change marketing techniques and try to convince their shareholders that their money is well invested. This article examines an advertising spot by the Commerzbank and the editorial by the CEO of the Commerzbank in the annual report 2012. The main focus of the analysis lies on the communicative strategies used to build or rebuild trust. Therefore, the model of the Dialogic Action Game as developed by Weigand is used as a theoretical foundation as it allows a comprehensive view on communication embedded in its cultural environment.