Branding Archive
Frost Bank’s Mini-Manifesto Makes Big, Bold Promises
You need to know what your organization believes if you want to publish a cool little mini-manifesto like Frost Bank.
Bromides and Dead Icons Won’t Fix UBS Brand
In 2008, private banking giant UBS (formerly Union Bank of Switzerland), like pretty much every other bank on earth, was slammed by the subprime meltdown. But that year, the bank also became the subject of
Unbanking
What is “unbanking?” It’s a marketing term created by various credit unions (and perhaps some banks) for use in ads, brochures and other creative materials. Some use “unbanking” as a conceptual platform and wrap all
Got a Question? Ask Bill
Bill Castle (pictured above), the CEO of South Valley Bank & Trust, is the star in the bank’s latest ad campaign, Ask Bill. Castle is stepping up to answer people’s questions — even the tough
Big Banks Roll Out 14 Promises in ‘Customer Charter’
“This won’t happen overnight, but we will be open about our progress.” — Brian Hartzer, CEO RBS and NatWest In an effort to repair a brand image tarnished by bailouts, the Royal Bank of Scotland
Making Banking Easy Isn’t Easy
For the average consumer, banking is a chore akin to scrubbing the toilet. It’s something that has to be done whether one likes it or not, and most people don’t. There are a million things
Case Study: Fitzsimons Credit Union Rebranding
In early 2009, Fitzsimons Credit Union engaged Art + Business ONE for a rebranding project that was to launch in November later that year. The Financial Brand conducted this brief Q&A interview with Art +
Defending BofA’s Embattled Brand
BofA’s brand is in the toilet. At least that’s what every journalist and blogger in America seems to believe. Headlines like “Bank of America Shines TARP-Tarnished Image,” and “BofA Uses Its American Heritage to Start
Guest Column: BHAG Branding
By Sean Tracey, Brand Strategist/Creative Director at Sean Tracey Associates How “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals” apply to financial marketing Most of you have heard the term BHAG. If not, it’s pronounced BEE’hag, and it stands
Citizens Brand: ‘Good Banking Is Good Citizenship’
Citizens Bank is dumping its current tagline, “Not Your Typical Bank,” and replacing it with a new brand theme, “Good Banking is Good Citizenship.” The bank will be using the “citizenship” concept as its primary
Kiwibank Brand Fights Back Big Aussie Banks
Australian banks had long dominated New Zealand’s financial industry, sucking as much as $3 billion annually in profits from its smaller neighbor. But in 2002, that changed with the launch of Kiwibank. In only eight
Why It All Starts (And Stops) With Consistency
When marketers talk about consistency, they are often referring to the look-and-feel. They say you should stick with the same colors, same design style, same typefaces, etc. When operations people talk about consistency, they usually
5 Truths About Rebranding (What I Learned)
Kelley Parks is creator of gira{ph}, and former VP/Marketing & Business Development at Call FCU. These days, Kelley has teamed up with iDiz to help credit unions discover and amplify what is unique about their
A Doodad Logo and an iDude Mascot
By Kelley Parks, creator of gira{ph}, and former VP/Marketing & Business Development an Call Federal Credit Union. These days, Kelley has teamed up with iDiz to help credit unions discover and amplify what is unique
Your Service Is Not What Differentiates You
Think your service makes you special? So does every other bank and credit union. Here are four reality checks to help you achieve greater strategic clarity.
Brandspeak: A Glossary of Branding Terms
Acronym Brand names formed from the initial letters (or parts) of a series of words – e.g., NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). In the financial industry, WaMu
Q&A: Lending Club’s Rebranded Identity
The Financial Brand sat down with Rob Garcia, Senior Director/Product Strategy at Lending Club, to talk about why and how the popular peer-to-peer lending service redesigned its brand identity. You can follow along with Rob’s
Brand Identity Showcase: Garanti, SpareBank, New Alliance
Here are over 50 illustrations showing brand identities, image makeovers and new look-and-feels from banks and credit unions around the world. You can click on any image to enlarge. Garanti Bank Garanti is the third
ANZ Promises It Isn’t Rude and Cranky
Reeling from an economic recession spurred by the financial industry’s collapse, consumers are eager to finger big bank villains. ANZ gladly offers up “Barbara,” the rude, cranky, deceptive and dismissive bank manager starring in a
Sunova’s ‘Bank Brighter’ Brand and Big D.O.G.
In 2008, one of Canada’s larger credit unions, South Interlake in Manitoba, decided to change names and become Sunova. Why? The credit union wanted to make the organization “a little brighter with a different name
