Why Being a Better Bank Isn’t Enough, with Laura Ries
Banks and credit unions must stand out by picking one rival to position against, according to author Laura Ries.
Published on November 2026 in Marketing Strategies
This Flashback Friday episode features my 2025 conversation with Laura Ries, author of The Strategic Enemy: How to Build and Position a Brand Worth Fighting For. Ries says consumers are surrounded by nearly indistinguishable offers, and that a bank or credit union claiming to be better will not be believed because self-reported claims lack credibility. She explains why a friend’s recommendation, a Reddit thread or a podcast mention carries more weight than advertising, and why repetition of one narrow idea builds a position in the customer’s mind.
We cover how a bank or credit union can choose its foe. For a regional bank, Ries frames the choice as the big national players or the online fintechs, whichever creates the greatest contrast. She also covers visual hammers, including the Wells Fargo stagecoach and the Chase shape, why a bank in a blue category should consider red, purple or green, how names like SunTrust and Truist compare, and how PNC’s “brilliantly boring” theme turns a perceived negative into a positive.
Ries also explains why a legacy brand may need a second brand, citing Kodak and Toyota’s Lexus, and how employees can live a brand promise through simple, repeated phrases such as Avis’s “We try harder” and Chick-fil-A’s “It’s my pleasure.” She closes with DUDE Wipes, a narrow brand with a clear foe in dry toilet paper, and advice for a regional bank CEO on choosing the foe that creates the strongest contrast. Recorded in 2025, the brands and campaigns discussed are as they stood then.
Hosted by Jim Marous. Subscribe to Banking Transformed for new episodes multiple times each week.
