Consumers who feel emotionally connected to their financial institution are three times more likely to stay with their bank or credit union, and are five times more likely to recommend their financial institution to others (Gallup). Rates and product offerings are no longer the ticket to creating loyalty, experience and brand feeling create trust and loyalty. Branding is no longer limited to logos on a wall, a financial institutions brand is the full experience a consumer has when interacting with your company. A brand often includes the atmosphere of a branch, the communicated goals of a financial institution, relationships with bankers, all the way to the cohesiveness between platforms.
Branding needs to be strategic, and if used correctly, can harness the power to transform a branch from a transactional space into a meaningful extension of a financial institution's mission, culture, and community presence. When integrated properly, a brand shapes how consumers feel, move, and interact with a space from the beginning. The following projects bring the concept of integrated branding to life.