Brand Strategy Masterclass for Banking Leaders

Regardless of industry, all brands are looking to grow

That’s because strong brands deliver. Decades of data has shown the strength of the best brands – with 96% of the top-40 brands yielding nearly double the total return to shareholders. And while differentiation is the top brand factor driving share performance, only 15% of brands are differentiated. That’s especially true in financial services. “There is an undeniable ‘sea of sameness’ in in this category, with literally thousands of banking brands sharing the same name and often the same colors, logo motifs, and even marketing language,” according to Adrenaline’s ROI of Rebranding.

When Adrenaline surveyed financial industry leaders about their institution’s brand priorities, four out of ten said that standing out is their top priority, and 30% said they need to articulate a differentiated message. Financial organizations understand the power of their brand, which is why three quarters of them them have refreshed their brand just in the last three years alone. While most banks and credit unions know the purpose of a brand is to build awareness among consumers and draw distinction among competitors, they simply lack the expertise and experience inside their organizations to make significant brand change.

That’s why Juliet D’Ambrosio, Adrenaline’s Chief Experience Officer, hosted the Brand Strategy Masterclass at this year’s Financial Brand Forum. This high-energy workshop explored the ins-and-outs of rebranding and shared best practices and lessons learned from banks and credit unions successfully repositioning their brands for growth. The workshop included hands-on learning sessions on brand differentiation, brand purpose and brand archetypes, helping organizations to connect and grow with the right audiences.

In these three videos, we’ve rounded up some of the key learnings featuring a unique form of visual storytelling.

Brand Differentiation

Brand differentiation is key to driving growth. Using their archetypes, values, purpose, and position can set brands apart. But 85% of all brands are not differentiated, which means they are not leveraging their full value.

Brand Purpose

A powerful way to build a differentiated brand is by leaning into brand purpose. Organizations grow faster by repositioning their brands to rally around a powerful brand purpose. Nearly eight out of ten customers believe banks should have a strong and visible brand purpose.

Brand Archetypes

Carl Jung defined 12 brand archetypes, using universal symbols to represent distinct aspects of identity. For brands, an archetype helps define personality and lays the foundation for an authentic vision and voice.

Ready to see how you can successfully reposition your banking brand for growth? Contact Adrenaline today to speak with one of our brand-to-branch experts.

Adrenaline is an end-to-end brand experience company serving the financial industry. We move brands and businesses ahead by delivering on every aspect of their experience across digital and physical channels, from strategy through implementation. Our multi-disciplinary team works with leadership to advise on purpose, position, culture, and retail growth strategies. We create brands people love and engage audiences from employees to customers with story-led design and insights-driven marketing; and we design and build transformative brand experiences across branch networks, leading the construction and implementation of physical spaces that drive business advantage and make the brand experience real.