By Princewill Ekwujuru

Union Bank of Nigeria(UBN) has evolved a branch re-restructuring strategy and new communications and advertising campaign tagged ‘and we’ve only just begun’ that would impact on the bank’s image.

The new campaign and repositioning aims at bringing dreams alive whilst replacing its old fashioned branch structure, making it fenceless and modern. The blue colour, signage, pylon, letter-head, account opening form, email template will change to new ones.

Apart from structural changes, the bank said the new project will sink into the UBN’s brand, from staff, management, directors to customers employing the Justin Biebier’s classic, “Born to be somebody” as a foothold for the campaign.

The bank, which is renowned for its pay off…big, strong and reliable revealed that the new campaign would ensure customers and consumers of the bank’s products and services will be course add ‘more’ reliable by the time the campaign has taken full effect.

With the new positioning statement, which the bank said is customer-focused, the bank has launched a new logo, signages, more appealing blue and white corporate colour and a multimedia advertising campaign tagged “….and we’ve only just begun.”

Mr. Tayo Bright, the bank’s strategy Consultant, at press briefing unveiling the new marketing and communication roadmap for the brand, said a 2010 consumer insight which cited the bank’s old fashioned approach to service delivery, old buildings and failure to move with new trends has forced the bank to take aggressive steps in rebuilding a new image and more customer-centric service delivery.

According to Bright, “the bank is taking new steps to create new identity, new brand, remodeling, new signage and pylon prototype, which displays service offered. The bank’s blue colour which signifies trust will come on a white that shows the bank’s sincerity, cleanliness, honesty and trust. These will reflect on our branch buildings across the country.”

Also, the consultant said the new corporate identity would reflect on every business communication materials such as Business cards, letter-head, envelopes, e-mail template and other internal and external communication materials of the bank.

“We are going to upgrade all other branches to a world class standard. We are presently working on 100 branches nationwide and hope to cover 400 branches in the next eighteen months. We will not put our signage on a building that is not befitting for our new look,” said Bright.

Concerning the bank’s staff and their relationship with customers, the bank consultant said currently, staffs of the bank’s whose branches have been remodeled with the new look are already changing their attitude and are now more customers –centric and more willing to attend to customer complaints as the bank has put in place a more effective feedback mechanism that would ensure prompt response.