130 years of consistent growth, impact and continuous relevance to the need of the customer has translated First Bank to a colossus in the Nigerian business space and a giant in the financial services sector.
On Friday in Lagos, the leading financial powerhouse for the umpteenth time brought its giant status to be as the bank unveiled a new campaign tagged “Making a Giant of You” at a private screening at the upscale Ebony Place Cinema, Victoria Island.
Latching on its over six scores and a decade experience of building giants by supporting businesses, organisations, governments and individuals, turning their dreams to business successes, the bank proudly unveiled a new campaign to the applause of a capacity filled hall, as it speaks to its impact on people and businesses across industries and climes in the new thematic campaign with focus on its capacity to do more aided by technology.
The new television led campaign pivots the financial behemoth’s consistent aspirations to make giants out of its customers with a generous touch of technology as an enabler.
To affirm its giant status, First Bank in 2007 brought a live Elephant to the streets of Marina, its headquarters premises in Lagos. The landmark campaign that ensued has remained an evergreen and unparalled. It ushered the bank and its target publics into its 2007 groundbreaking public offer. As a fallout of the milestone campaign, the bank explored the associated ‘bragging right’, it emerged with its equally popular but now retired “Truly the First” campaign.
This was brand-centric and parochial in approach you may say, however in 2014, the bank changed its direction to become more customer-centric in the focus and essence of its business. In line with its new focus on the customer, “You First”, alluding to the customer, became the bank’s driving force, changing the direction from ego tripping to focusing on the customer. The change of direction once again, heightened the bank’s customers focus orientation.
Yinka Ijabiyi, Head, Brand Management and Stakeholders, in a chat with BrandCrunch disclosed that the new campaign is a further crystallization of First Banks Customer-Centric drive and positioning established by its previous “You First” campaign but now speaking more vividly and extra direct to the customer while dissecting the how’s behind the transformation to Giants.
Of course, this has been the underlying essence of the bank in its past 130 years unbeaten records of existence and market leadership, however, for first time it’s making a direct claim and unequivocal promise, to make “Giants” of customers.
“We have been around for 130 years, over that period we have created and made giants of a lot of our customers and businesses. What we are doing is that we are encapsulating that in this campaign to say, ‘If you are not doing business with us come to us, we’ll make you giant’. If you’re already doing with us, we are saying, ‘we will continue to make giant of you in every area of your life or any area you aspire to be a giant even if what you have is only a dream and a prayer’. This is the essence, turning our customers into the Giants they wish or aspire to be”, Head, Brand Management and Stakeholders emphasises.
The new campaign is a strategic fit and logical step by the First Bank brand bearing in mind its record of landmark achievements and verifiable pedigree as a giant in the business of banking in Nigeria and beyond, supporting individual customers, businesses, organizations and governments.
“That is what we are showcasing here”, says Ijabiyi, while adding that the bank has been making giants of the customers and their businesses as there are giants latent in every customer. “No business that does business with us and does not see the benefits of doing business with us. This is what this campaign is hinged on”, he disclosed.
The new thematic campaign is led by corporate brand TV Commercial highlighting the bank’s exploits in technology and AI to be tech-compliant and remain relevant in providing the customers with top notch tech enabled financial services, products, solutions and support. Ijabiyi captures this in his presentation at the screening, when he declared, “First Bank recognises that to be in sync with the world will require a forward thinking and future ready mindset… and we have created the atmosphere, products and services to help our customers”
The supporting materials are more direct and product focused. Individually, they speak directly to some peculiar needs of customers in clear and concise terms. For instance, these multiple press materials with bold or giant illustrations and less body copies, speak to the need of business men/ women using some prodding headlines or questions as the case may be – “Ready to Take Giants Strides? “, “Stride into the Future”, “Think Giant Solutions” and “Stand Tall and Stand out”. All are aspirational and couched to bring out the giant in the consumer.
Other supporting tv commercials include; FirstDiaspora – The diaspora community is fairly represented and catered for in the campaign through this material. The TVC speaks to making remittances seamlessly stress-free deploying technology.
Similarly, XploreFirst TVC targets the need of students and speaks to these future leaders on spectacular future – make everyday a cruise – xploreFirst. The bank hopes to catch them young and retain them for a more profitable future.
The bank through its FirstMobile and FirstOnline products speaks to individuals and SMEs as the bedrock of every economy, in a bid to helping this class to scale up and pivot to become “next African Giants”.
The private screening which held on one of the ebony place’s giant size screens underscored the first banks technology compliant status despite its over 130 years age, Internet of things takes the centre stage in the entire gamut of products and services propositions.
First Bank is positioned as old in age, rich in experience, youthful in disposition and future forward in orientation to customers and prospects’ needs and aspiration.
For ijabiyi, the campaign demonstrates in clear terms how the products and services within the First Bank group could make a customer become a Giant’ if he takes advantage of any of them.
Contrary to insinuation of a rights issue prone campaign, Ijabiyi answers an emphatic “No”, emphasising, “This campaign is a normal marketing material for the bank’s everyday business”. For the rights issue, he discloses “that will come later”
Yinka ijabiyi broods no opposition or fear on copyright infringement or intellectual property violation on the concept of ‘making a giant’, according to his team and its agencies have cross-checked and convinced that the concept is free and could be used by anyone without any inhibition. ‘First Bank has taken it, owns it and can interpret it our way. Others can also do same. Making a giant is just an ordinary expression; no one owns a right to it. It’s comparable to a word like ‘one’, anyone can deploy it to suitable interpretation’, he noted.
From concept to finish, marketing egg-heads at First Bank worked with SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi, and its digital arm, Virus Digital.
The grandiose screening was attend by Deji Atunwa, CEO, Virus Digital; Olumide Odofin, Head of Brand management, SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi; Osahon Ogieva, Group head, manufacturing, First Bank; Nneka Etabor, International Transaction team, First Bank; Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, Head of Digital, First Bank, Abimbola Meshiloye; Yemi Adesanya, Head, Financial Control among others.
