“The eureka moment was when banks decided to strive to become retailers. They lost their perspective and ultimately our trust.”
— Howard Milton, founder of branding agency Smith & Milton
“Forget direct marketing, telesales and even e-commerce. When a person crosses the threshold into your branch, it’s the ultimate opportunity.”
— John Ryan website
“Go ahead, bankers. Spend money redesigning your branches to look like Starbucks coffee shops with comfy chairs. And watch those chairs go unused, while your competitors extend their capabilities in the channels that will be — if they’re not already — the battleground of the future.”
— Ron Shevlin, Aite analyst
“I love to share everything I’m doing on Twitter: my ideas on management, on leadership, and I answer whoever asks me a question. And I’m the only one who has access to that account.”
— ING Direct Canada’s Peter Aceto
“You have to have the stomach for taking risks. We don’t go out of our way to offend people. We do go out of our way to create tension.”
— BK CMO Russ Klein, on what it takes to build a breakthrough brand
“Social media is a whole new world, and you cannot afford to not be a part of it.”
— Pamela Blase, a spokeswoman for UMB Financial
“Every brand builder will face a million temptations to obscure, dilute, or confuse his or her brand message. These temptations fall under two general headings: boredom and the desire for growth.”
– David F. D’Alessandro, Brand Warfare