Studies show that Swiss clients have great confidence in their bank – compared to bank customers abroad. However, general services of Swiss banks have become more and more interchangeable. In order to win new customers in times of digital transformation and remain credible towards their existing clients, financial institutes need a branding that clearly differentiates them within their competitive environment. Bank CIC (Schweiz) has successfully addressed this issue with a new promise of performance which puts the flexibility of the financial service provider in the limelight.
The challenges of the Swiss bank market are multifaceted. The implementation of international and national regulations forces banks to modify their business models. In addition, digital transformation requires banks to change: By digitalizing operative tasks as well as the communication with customers, efficiency is in high demand. Bank CIC (Schweiz), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the financial group Crédit Mutuel-CIC with nine locations all over Switzerland, faces these challenges with a branding worked out in cooperation with Brandpulse which is based on a differentiating promise of performance: Highest flexibility and a focus on consulting leadership in the service of their customers are key to Bank CIC. This way, “Your flexible bank” positions itself as a competent partner for businesses, entrepreneurs and private customers with complex financial demands.
The new positioning is the result of a brand strategy process developed and orchestrated by Brandpulse in close cooperation with Bank CIC: A comprehensive brand analysis which takes consumer banking trends and changing key buying factors in the financial sector into consideration created the basis for developing a new future-proof brand strategy and a differentiating promise of performance.
In accordance with the positioning, Bank CIC presents itself with a new image worked out by Brandpulse and the new claim “Your flexible bank”. In the course of the branding project, Brandpulse implemented the new brand design in:
In a further sub-project, Brandpulse developed the product brand eLounge: After a comprehensive analysis of customer needs and of the competitive situation, Brandpulse developed the product brand strategy for the novel e-banking solution. In a structured search process, the name “CIC eLounge” was created as a symbol for the pleasant, simple customer solution, which offers the customer not only maximum flexibility but also automated processes including personal advice.
The developed brand concept includes:
The market launch was supported by a complete communication package consisting of:
