How not to differentiate a bank
Jan 18, 2010I keep expecting to see more smart local companies maximizing the only (according to Ad Age) growing trend in marketing these days: cause marketing. Actually, what I'm really looking for are examples of cause branding -- companies making strong statements about their values that actually move people to change brands, rather than recycling old and increasingly meaningless selling points.
What bank, for example, is not convenient? Aren't customer service and community involvement baseline forall banks? Why do they keep touting the same basic attributes as if I'm going to go through the trouble of changing banks for the occasional smile?
Cause branding can make a genuine difference to new and untapped markets. I'm waiting for the day when I walk into the nearest branch of my bank and see photos and stories about underprivileged kids who have been "adopted" by my bank. Or a river bank that bank employees are working to clean up. I want to be offered opportunities to get involved, too. I want to walk away with a bigger heart than the one I walked in with, knowing that I'm part of the solution just by being a customer.
