Five Star Bank
Brand Development
People want a genuine relationship with their bank. A bank that listens and values the hard work customers put in every day to reach their goals and live out their dreams. With a more human and personal approach to banking — one that recognizes people as more than just what they appear to be on paper — Five Star helps its customers progress toward a promising tomorrow.
Results
During February-May '18 Compared To Prior Year Period Five Star Bank's New Website Produced:231% Increase In Non-Paid Traffic
277% Increase In Non-Paid New User Traffic
17% Decrease In Bounce Rate
167% Increase In Mobile Visits
187% Increase Of New Mobile Users
During March/April '18 In Comparison To Prior Year Period Five Star Bank Enjoyed Increased Metrics Including:
27% Increase Of New Checking Accounts
268% Increase Of New Premier Checking Accounts
New Banking Customers Increased 17% over March/April of prior year
Brand Strategy
Rebrand • Rebuild • Reinvent the way people think about banking
We partnered with Five Star to take on an exciting and yet formidable challenge: a complete rebrand for a company entering new markets. Although increasing brand awareness was the top priority, we also had to solve the bank’s identity crisis. An overhaul like this required courage and a company-wide commitment to a new bank look and feel that still celebrates the company’s core values and unique offerings. Five Star had to come across as an attractive alternative to the big, faceless banks that can’t appreciate the nuanced needs of the area’s residents.
Our research also revealed that many of the bank’s current customers were unaware of all the ways Five Star can help them — specifically, the wide range of offerings that Five Star Bank and its affiliates, SDN Insurance and Courier Capital, offer. Lost messaging translated into lost revenue. And that needed to be flipped to the positive. Fast. So, we updated the bank’s identity by adding the three key businesses: Banking/Investment/Insurance in the Five Star logo lockup. Moving forward, these three divisions will now be included in the Five Star logo in all media and for all merchandise.
Today Is Tomorrow In Progress
A second find from the dig caught our eye: customers, we learned, want a bank that’s “looking out for them” — a customer-focused bank that takes the time to listen and really get to know them. One-part knowledge. One-part neighbor.
Bringing the campaign to life, we developed the aspirational platform/tagline Today is tomorrow in progress.
For the initial launch to succeed, it had to grab — and hold — attention. And that required three things: a visually arresting campaign unlike anything else in the category; short broadcast lengths to accommodate the world’s ever-shrinking attention span; a media blitz during a high-profile event. With more than 400 pieces of creative developed for the launch — from broadcast and video content to digital, print, out-of-home, in-branch, collateral, and more — plus a revamped website, the new brand was visible at every consumer touchpoint.
There was a ton of work but not a ton of money, so we had to be savvy with our media dollars. To get the most bang and be in front of the right audiences, we used the Winter Olympics as the launch platform. Instead of the traditional :30 TV commercial or :60 anthem, we created four :15 broadcast commercials, each featuring a different offering, to increase frequency of viewership.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Brand metrics so far have exceeded expectations. In less than one fiscal quarter post-launch, Five Star has enjoyed a 268% increase of new Premier Checking accounts, a 27% increase of all new checking accounts and a 17% increase of new customers.
The new website has been a frequent stop for current and new customers, with initial metrics showing over 231% increase in non-paid traffic over prior year during the months of February-May, over 277% increase in non-paid new user traffic and a 17% decrease in bounce rate. The new responsive design drove an increase of over 167% mobile visits and 187% increase of new mobile visitors.
