When banks and credit unions open new branches or relocate/renovate existing branches, they have an opportunity not only to evolve the brand’s physical footprint but also to grab market share from competitors. This is especially true in densely trafficked and populated urban markets. This new guide from Media Logic presents a strategic approach to turning bank branch grand opening celebrations into well-thought-out campaigns designed for acquiring new customers – and creating buzz – in the urban market. Imagery for the guide was sourced from Mintel Comperemedia, September 2018.

1. Fall 2018
A playbook for bank branch marketing
Stealing share in urban markets

2. Introduction
Many financial institutions are opening new branches, relocating branches or renovating existing
ones. There are specific challenges to branch openings in densely trafficked and populated urban
markets. Differences in the environment and audience must be considered and accommodated.
Your FI will acquire customers – consumer, small business, commercial – through “grand opening”
campaigns that successfully create awareness, promote products and services, and showcase your
technology and human interface.
To that end, this playbook will help you:
▪ Start with a high-level look at the market
▪ Explore a surround strategy and campaign tactics
▪ Review a sampler from banks and credit union efforts – local versus urban examples
▪ Consider three preliminary marketing plans scaled to potential investment
2
For purposes of illustration, the exploration of strategies and tactics are based on an FI with
plans to open a new branch in a Boston neighborhood.

3. Target: Urban Market X
Consider basic demographics in your geographic target. Your operations team has done the heavy
lifting to size the business opportunity before entering the market. Aligning your marketing levers
with demographics will help you identify the reasons why prospects should consider banking with
you. Relevancy is critical.
Example: a Boston neighborhood relies on demographic-based insights to guide which products,
services, and brand attributes will attract prospects.
▪ Neighborhood of predominantly older Millennials (35.9 mean age)
▪ $120k mean HH income (2016)
▪ Almost equal gender split
▪ On average, 1.5 people/HH
▪ 16.3% of HHs are married (65.1% of HHS have children)
3Source: City Data
Mission critical: motivating an already
banked population to engage with you
and consider switching the relationship
or adding you to the mix.

4. Reasons to believe
You can define areas of differentiation to leverage towards a successful launch. Reasons to believe will
guide and inform new branch campaign theme and messaging. The goal is to carve out “white space”
for market entry.
For example, Bank ABC – a regional player entering an urban market – could examine the competitive
set and then focus on the bank’s narrow set of key messages, backed up by proof points.
Bank ABC “White Space” Exploration
▪ RTB #1: Satisfied customers
- Promote our stellar reputation…Bank ABC is ranked as the “Highest Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in
the Mid-Atlantic” – JD Power 2017 US Retail Banking Satisfaction Study
▪ RTB #2: Big Bank benefits with no hassle
- Focus on our technology – free mobile banking with fingerprint login, remote deposit from any device, mobile
wallet services, and an award-winning app to safeguard debit card information
- Promote branch choice – choice of technology and people
▪ RTB #3: Relationship is more than an aspiration
- Our reputation, vision, and recognition (awards and consumer ratings)
- Baked into our culture
4

5. Preliminary approach
Pre-launch, launch, and post-launch activities should ladder up to a single set of strategic imperatives
and serve as guidelines for all campaign initiatives:
▪ Be highly targeted
- Reach people where they live…where they work…where they play
- Segment specific: consumer, business, banked, unbanked, neighborhood residents, neighborhood commuter;
- Existing customers who work in the area will be made aware of the branch through your normal channels
▪ Stand apart and proud
- Take a stand without denigrating competitive set
- Leverage your reputation (what your advocates say about you) to appeal to those seeking an elevated experience –
one that is better, easier, friendlier, comprehensive
▪ Promote good feelings (service) and feeling good (technology for safety, convenience, always on, frictionless)
- Technology is attractive especially when it can be personalized
- Backed by people remains very important to customers…the ability to get help and support with a human advisor
- Easy access to a branch is the third biggest driver of loyalty but as more services migrate online, customers are
looking for a branch experience that blends physical and digital seamlessly
5
Customers say responsive customer service and brand integrity – as well as related elements
such as conveniently located branches – are key to ensuring loyalty. Accenture, 2017.

6. Foundation: create “Urban Buzz”
The campaign must attract attention, pull in traffic, and start conversations to convert prospects to
customers. Given the urban nature of prospects, carefully evaluate and implement a campaign with
Look, Tone, Feel and promotional offers that meet the sensitivities of your targets. Don’t make the
mistake of assuming you can “lift and shift” past neighborhood grand opening campaigns to the
urban environment.
All foundational concepts and campaigns should be extendable to small business and commercial
efforts when appropriate.
Any drive-to-branch promotion could feature giveaways matched to the demography – the buzz
should be tied to relevancy versus monetary value and avoid the clichés seen in many FI marketing
examples.
The promotion itself would be overlaid onto branch opening communications and branch
merchandising:
▪ ATMs, resting screens for PCs located in branch
▪ Branch signage (solo and product signage with promo snipe)
▪ Take one/insert
▪ Staff accessories (e.g. buttons and themed tablet screens they utilize in branch)
6

7. Sample surround strategy
7
Three-touch consumer
direct mail stream
Local partnerships
and “ambassadors”
BRANCH
B2B campaign targeting
employers (SBO and Commercial
enterprises), employees
Social
“Experience” landing
page
Above the line –
OOH and Print
Foundation: Buzz-worthy, urban marketing drives to branch
Mobile using
WiFi network

8. Tactic: Drive to “Experience” landing page
All communications should drive to a landing page for a branch preview, as well as to invite
prospect to the branch. The landing page can be a simple, but powerful, destination for housing
content designed to pre-engage and preview the new Branch Experience:
▪ Affords a glimpse into the branch and preview of new services and technology
▪ Features a short video
- Messages from key stakeholders (President/CEO, Branch Manager, etc.)
- Architectural renderings with voice over “walk through”
▪ Provides timeline for branch opening and celebration
▪ Previews opening “urban buzz” event
▪ Promotes offers
▪ Facilitates online scheduling to set appointment/consult during first month
8

9. Post-launch
Tactic: three-touch direct mail stream
9
Key Messages:
Get ready
Brand amplification
Call-to-Action: Drive to
“Experience” landing
page/video
Visit the branch on <date>
Key Message:
We’re Set
Brand amplification
Call-to-Action:
Visit branch (with offer
promotion)
Urban Branch Opens
Key Message:
Go
Brand amplification
Call-to-Action:
Visit branch
Targeted product offer
Launch-15

10. Tactic: evolve and elevate targeted DM
10
Proposed Three-Touch DM stream used in integrated strategy
Examine existing new branch campaigns – targeting, acquisition
offer, product focus, sweepstakes promotions or other drive-to-
branch promotions. Communications may require a more
contemporized and urban LTF (look, tone, feel) plus new
execution tactics and channels.
Move to a multi-touch targeted direct mail campaign that
will build upon best practices and contemporize and amplify
your brand.
▪ Uses frequency and timing to build awareness and
excitement
▪ Belongs to a campaign and reflects theme – the thread of
steal – designed to engage and move desired prospect
segment to action
▪ Drives to “Experience” landing page
▪ Promotes compelling reasons to switch including
▪ Promotes limited-time offer
▪ Geo targeting of neighborhood residents (ideally with
overlay to identify most desirable targets)
Branch Opening DM is typically the work horse of campaign
Imagery sourced from Mintel Comperemedia September, 2018

11. Tactic: two-pronged B2B campaign
Outreach to surrounding business to (1) introduce your brand; and (2) engage them as advocates
with their employees
▪ B2B: Communications to Finance (versioned for SBO/Commercial enterprises) promoting your
bank, including business facing sell-sheet and new business customer tool kit
▪ B2C: Communications to HR to be used with their employees
- Pre-launch sponsored “take a break” – hospitality delivered to business, new branch promotion – with your
representative onsite
- Multi-purpose insert (mailbox stuffer, HR handout, paycheck insert) and breakroom posters
- E-mail (distributed by employer) or direct mail to employee base
- All content aligns with key messaging – benefits, services, offer, promotional buzz
- Ideal timing in advance of branch opening
- Could explore any ongoing opportunities after the launch timeframe
11

12. Tactic: awareness advertising
Carefully use “above-the-line” media to drive awareness, promote attractive offer and create
“urban buzz” at branch opening
Overall goals:
▪ Accomplish the task in an efficient way through smart selection of media channels
▪ Reach two key segments: Population residing in neighborhood and commuter population
▪ Secure placements in neighborhood to touch residents and commuters using ad impressions
proximal to retail, restaurants, entertainment venues and transit
▪ Be disruptive (e.g., billboard roving the downtown streets)
▪ Ideal timing would allow for pre-launch and launch support
12

13. Tactic: reach prospects through mobile
Use Mobile WiFi delivery of promotional messages to prospects
▪ Geofencing can define the marketing area (e.g., a radius around the new branch)
▪ Ads can be served up to targets as they pass through the geofenced areas and are dynamically
generated based on location and analytic data
▪ Your campaign can then activate mobile content to a series of apps/mobile websites
▪ Can be used in conjunction with OOH at the same location
13

14. Tactic: build cross-brand advocates
Informally strike short-term partnerships with businesses serving the neighborhood with the goal
of engaging prospects where they live, work, play
▪ Look into possible relationships with smaller (but high traffic) businesses such as fitness clubs or
restaurants
▪ Gain exposure via promotional collateral – tent card, static cling, inserts at their front desks, POS,
check presenter folios, etc.
▪ Ideal timing would allow for pre-launch and week of the opening
▪ These venues may also, themselves, be targets for a commercial account – combine partnership
solicitation with a customized offer for the business itself
14

15. Tactic: social promotion
Utilize your owned social channels – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for business purposes – to
build awareness and drive traffic to branch
▪ Utilize social paid advertising using Digital Custom Audience (FB, Twitter)
▪ Use programmatic targeted ads (reach audience through third-party targeting of prospects,as
available)
▪ Flight posts across campaign with relevant content customized against timing (pre-launch, day
of launch, ongoing)
15

16. Exploration: advertising opportunities
Explore available media in the surrounding neighborhood including:
▪ Outdoor Media – bulletins, walls, digital bulletins
▪ Bus Media – outside display and interior
▪ Street Furniture – bike share, digital urban panels, metro lights
▪ Subway Media – platform posters, dioramas, station signage
▪ Specialty Media – windows, elevators, car park domination
▪ Mobile Network – geofencing delivery of promotions (Outfront Mobile Network)
16

17. Branch opening
marketing examples
17

18. Drive-to-branch sampler
18
The challenge: conceptualize a strong promotion
with high appeal to an urban audience.
Capital One has the most
sophisticated promotion facilitated by
their “café” concept as seen in their
Austin Grand Opening
Sustaining branch visits
through ongoing weekly offers
is a sound strategy
Contests/games are typical
of new branch promotions –
consider appropriateness to
urban audience
Imagery sourced from Mintel Comperemedia September, 2018

19. Drive-to-branch sampler
19
Typical neighborhood branch
promotions feature gifts for
visiting and chance to win higher
value prize
The challenge: conceptualize a strong promotion
with high appeal to an urban audience.
Imagery sourced from Mintel Comperemedia September, 2018

20. Drive-to-branch sampler
20
Regions Bank uses video to introduce new locations where
customers and prospects can “Experience Modern Banking”
The challenge: conceptualize a strong promotion
with high appeal to an urban audience.
Wells Fargo brought in its iconic stagecoach (the
perfect photo op) for a Minneapolis branch opening.
WFB contributes stuffed ponies – also identified with
their brand – to local children’s charities
Imagery sourced from Mintel Comperemedia September, 2018

21. Campaign at-a-glance
21

22. 22
CAMPAIGN MILESTONES (EXAMPLE) Month One Month Two Month Three
Urban Branch Opening X
Campaign planning and development X X X X
Concepting/campaign creative development X X X X
Video, print, digital production X X X X
Media and partnerships secured X X X X X X
Direct mail – three drops X X X
Landing page launched/ongoing X X X X X X X X
B2B and B2C campaigns (businesses) X X X
Social posts/advertising X X X X
OOH/print ads (above the line) in market X X X X
Mobile digital advertising X X
Branch merchandising (grand opening focused, not BAU) X X

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