SZRBConnect with the Bank
Industry
Banking, Finance & Insurance
Services
Brand Strategy, Communication Strategy, Brand Identity, Audit & Analysis, Performance Marketing, Web Design & Development, Offline Campaign, Online Campaign, Photo & Video Production
The Slovak Guarantee and Development Bank is the only state-owned bank that has been present in the Slovak market for over 30 years. After establishing its strategy and identity, it needed to boost awareness and stand out amid fierce competition.
The general public—and especially entrepreneurs as the target audience—had long been unaware of the bank’s advantageous products. To enhance its image and highlight its unique qualities, we developed a campaign concept that built on the client’s previous promotional activities. Consequently, we designed and executed a brand campaign for SZRB with the goal of increasing brand recognition.
A Stronger Brand Presence
The loan products of the Slovak Guarantee and Development Bank are continually refined to meet the needs of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs—an audience that the bank had not traditionally catered to. However, the gap between the bank’s innovative approach and public awareness placed it in stiff competition with other banks boasting significantly larger media budgets. To counter this, we crafted and implemented a brand campaign focused on elevating the bank’s recognition and engaging its target audience.
Shifting Perceptions
We also sought to reshape the perception of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME clientele), the bank’s most important segment, for whom its portfolio of loan products is specifically designed. This initiative had to be executed on multiple levels—primarily through out-of-home advertising and more coherent social media management. Our aim was to boost overall brand recall and position SZRB as a top alternative for entrepreneurs when seeking a loan.
Triple Casting for Enhanced Recognition
Business in the 21st century is unlike any era before, and with it comes a key group of entrepreneurs—farmers. To counter the notion that the Slovak Guarantee and Development Bank is solely for farmers, we embraced a concept that could be varied visually. We segmented the bank’s potential clientele into three categories: those striving for sustainable business practices, those enhancing the quality of Slovak food production, and those preserving traditional craft techniques. Accordingly, our video spots featured three distinct types of entrepreneurs, allowing us to test public affinity for the brand and, through precise personalization and behavioral targeting, build lasting brand recognition among these groups.
Effective Media Formats
Video and audio became the primary mediums for the brand awareness campaign, supported by static visuals drawn from the video spots. With the activation slogan “Connect with the Bank,” we effectively engaged the audience. In light of the intense competitive communication, we selected non-skippable formats to ensure the full campaign message was delivered. These formats were distributed on YouTube and via programmatically purchased out-of-stream ads, which appeared directly on interest-based portals tailored to specific audience segments.
Sound Branding in Podcasts and Radio
To achieve high visibility, we complemented the video campaign with banner formats. A strong emphasis was placed on branding across portals and on audio advertising through sound branding. In the digital space, we partnered with the largest Slovak podcast portal, purchasing advertising time in business and economic podcasts. These online efforts were further supported by on-air communications on Rádio Expres. To ensure that no aspect of brand building was overlooked, we integrated sound branding into our social media communications as well.
Success Confirmed by Data
Thanks to a powerful creative approach and a meticulously planned media strategy, we successfully reached the selected target groups and achieved the anticipated KPIs in terms of reach. We also conducted an online survey to measure brand awareness and ad recall, comparing a control group before the campaign with an exposed group afterward. The positive outcomes from the brand awareness campaign were reflected in improved performance in the loan product campaigns we manage—the average Cost per Acquisition (CPA) dropped by 41%, ultimately leading to more favorable business results.
