Large Regional Bank

Challenge:
With more than 250 banks in the area, Chicago ranks as the most crowded banking market in the country. In early 2005, Reputation Partners was engaged as agency of record by the Chicago affiliate of this super regional bank to raise its profile as a major bank of choice throughout Chicagoland and Northern Indiana. This came at a time when the Bank was relatively new to the market, did not have a long-standing brand presence or name recognition, and was undergoing significant leadership changes.

Strategy/Implementation:
To attract new customers and help increase deposits, Reputation Partners’ goals were threefold: to position the Bank as a “bank of choice” in Chicago with its everyday great rates, superior products and outstanding customer service; to highlight its commitment to Chicagoland and Northern Indiana communities; and to position members of the senior management team as industry experts to build business and a positive reputation for the Bank.

To achieve these goals, our team developed consistent messaging to include in all materials and trained senior executives on message delivery. We then identified and pitched targeted media stories that demonstrate the Bank’s banking/financial expertise and commitment to Chicagoland. To help executives gain a higher profile in the community, we pursued professional, community and civic memberships on their behalf. Finally, we developed an ongoing internal employee communications program to help drive employee engagement and commitment.

Results:
In three years, the Bank has received extensive exposure in the media. Numerous prominent stories on the Bank’s winning strategy have run in such publications as the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Southtown. In addition, one of the Bank’s top investment advisors is now among the experts regularly featured on WBBM-AM’s “Noon Business Hour.” The Bank is also frequently featured in local market publications for its commitment to the community and delivering comprehensive products/services.

To demonstrate its commitment to the communities in which it serves, we helped the Bank launch a Community Advisory Board, which consists of representatives from community organizations that provide insight on which products and initiatives would best benefit the demographic/communities they support. We’ve also worked to secure board placements for senior executives to ensure they are firmly rooted in the community.

With our hands-on assistance, the Bank has also implemented a robust employee engagement program. As part of this initiative, we’ve launched and manage the Bank’s first all-employee newsletter in Chicago. We have also professionally managed the semi-annual meeting in which nearly 700 top managers convene to discuss the state of the business. Reputation Partners has overseen all facets of that event, including development of all programming (video, presentation, speaker points, etc.). In addition, Reputation Partners has been engaged to professionally manage other important internal events, including the first-ever meeting which brought together local presidents from all 19 affiliates across the Midwest and East.

Given our strong results and solid relationship with the Bank, our role has been greatly expanded since 2005. Beginning in May 2007, Reputation Partners was engaged as agency of record by the Bank’s new St. Louis affiliate (established in late 2006) as they looked to introduce themselves to this new market. In nearly one year, Fifth Third Bank has garnered extensive exposure in the St. Louis media. Prominent stories on the Bank’s unique service offerings and in-depth features on key executives of the Bank have run in the city’s major news outlets – the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the St. Louis Business Journal. Our work also involves “ultra local” initiatives to support individual banking centers in driving deposits at their local branches.