Itau Bank:::Speaking personally to customers

BRAND :Itau Bank
CATEGORY:Financial
REGION :Brazil
DATE :Apr 2008 - Dec 2008

Itaú Bank operates in the financial and capital markets, both in Brazil and abroad. With about 24 million clients, Itaú is considered the most valuable brand in Brazil, according to Interbrand
The bank was looking for a communication platform that would boost the banks business and optimize all the work that had gone before to establish the message: “Itaú, made for you”.

The idea was to make the consumer aware of the advantage of being an Itau client. The solution was the largest personalized print-media initiative ever attempted in the world: it inserted personalized ads in 1.2 million issues of the widest-circulated magazine in the country – Veja.

The challenge involved working out who out of Veja’s subscribers was an Itaú client and which type of account they had, who was not an Itaú client and who was an Itaú employee.

Each one of them received at home a personal ad containing his/her name, emphasizing the fact that the bank was actually “Made for you”.

The bank also developed a two-pointed pencil, where one point represents Itaú, and the other its clients. The idea was to show the balance between the two.
At the end of 2008, the brand’s equity index had grown substantially, making Itaú the favorite brand, and “top of mind”, in the category, in addition to the bank’s being named the most admired bank in Brazil “*Source: TNS Interscience) and the most valuable brand in Latin America. (*Source: Interbrand).

Halifax :::Reaching out to expats

BRAND :Halifax
BRAND OWNER :HBOS
CATEGORY :Financial
REGION :Global
DATE :Apr 2008 - Dec 2008

HBOS is one of the most recognisable names in banking. The Halifax International offshore banking service launched in 2008 to provide a service familiar for those far from home. The challenge was to engage with a disparate audience of UK expats in a competitive, HSBC dominated market place and difficult macro-economic conditions.

Having conducted extensive global research into the types of expats (New lifers, Career Pursuers, and Retirees), messaging and content were provided across a diverse range of subjects ranging from making friends, language, property & accommodation and tax planning, showing Halifax really is more than just a bank.

Halifax teamed up with The Sun, one of the UK’s leading tabloids as business partners rather than media owners, creating a bespoke branded expat channel on the Sun Online, with 100% of ad formats owned by Halifax. Display ran across money comparison sites and global/national news sites with advertorial, newsletter promotions and channel takeovers.

An XML feed was incorporated into rate-led display advertising to update instantaneously, saving creative costs and notifying consumers of the best deal.

Partnering with TradeDoubler, affiliate marketing focused on introducing Halifax International as a competitive product through financial listings. Affiliates also ran across a range of niche sites that linked to the various expat-life stages, allowing HBOS to educate on all aspects of the expat journey. This was combined by paid and natural search.

The entire campaign delivered a total of 106,193,617 impressions, generating a CTR of 3.5%. In total, the Halifax International acquisition drive delivered a total of 8,170 new accounts, a 382% increase on targets, with CPA below target. In total, £250 million in deposits was generated for Halifax International.