Bringing cost-effective convenience to banking customers through the mobile branch experience.
As foot traffic continues to decline, financial institutions are on the hunt for ways to bring consumers back to the branch. After all, branches are home to the high-value consultative services banks and credit unions are known for. Likewise, consumers who have seen their local bank and credit union options dwindle can be left without access to the banking tools they need to manage their financial lives.
Rolling to the rescue for consumers, the mobile branch represents an opportunity and opening for financial institutions. For banks and credit unions wanting to expand their service areas, this flexible branch format can serve markets that financial institutions were unable to reach through their static branch network. It also provides an introduction to new customers who may be previously unaware of the bank or credit union brand.
Brand Beacon
To expand the influence of their consumer-centric brand, UNIFY Financial Credit Union partnered with Adrenaline to create a travelling brand beacon. The mobile branch is the physical embodiment of UNIFY’s promise that you can be anywhere in the United States and they will “connect YOU to a better banking experience.” The mobile branch serves as a way for the brand to extend and expand their retail experience to customers wherever they are located.
Using the brand’s distinctive UNIFY knot and color palette, the mobile branch turns heads on the street, serving as extension of the brand itself. The signature “Connect Your Way” message provided a driving force and unifying thread for the mobile branch’s design, moving beyond visual elements into the customer journey inside the mobile branch. This new way of experiencing the credit union helps activate new connections in new communities and create innovative ways to engage, right where they are.
Creating Connections
In creating UNIFY’s new branch format, Adrenaline embraced the powerful principles of experience design to optimize the business proposition of the mobile branch for UNIFY. The resulting mobile branch provides a powerful example of fusing together all elements of brand that make a consumer experience meaningful – physical, virtual, operational, and cultural – to create a holistic experience for consumers.
After designing and deploying this flexible, moveable brand beacon, UNIFY is now focused on using the mobile branch to spread the word about “better banking right where you are.” The mobile branch has fueled credit union visits to local areas and community events and will continue to empower sponsorship and employee gatherings. Creating connections with the community, the mobile branch is successfully expanding the credit union’s footprint and following throughout California.
