On the Belgian market, private and public (or para-public) financial institutions are competing with each other and proposing certainly and at least to the public at large and to the small and middle sized companies products or services of which the actual technical characteristics tend to undifferentiated themselves more and more. The financial conditions, the interests paid, the criteria used for giving loans do not differ much ... or not at all ... and the ranges of services are progressively completed as well in the public savings banks as in the private retail banks. As a consequence, the battle is more and more evidently on the ground of the CORPORATE IMAGE. And most of the financial institutions spend an increasing part of their resources in the conception and the execution of global communication policies, ensuring a global positioning which is in full agreement with the changing socio-political environment.
The claim that better quality control is one of the instruments a bank needs to achieve sustained success in its operations calls for proof or, at least, some convincing explanations. This quality control instrument was so successful! that we developed it into a relatively broad program, controlling not only tellers, but also investment counsellors, and calling officers at the loan department, telephone operators and, last but not least, even members of the Management.
After scientific institutions, publicity media and mass products advertisers, banks are wondering now about the usefulness of life style in their everyday activities. As to Crédit Agricole, its marketing research was devoted to the development of an original approach of its customers through a study of life styles. A need for considering the traditional commercial approach from a new angle having been expressed by salesmen, as well as agencies managers and people from the central group, opportunities to try such a system arose spontaneously without anybody showing opposition.
After scientific institutions, publicity media and mass products advertisers, banks are wondering now about the usefulness of life style in their everyday activities. As to Crédit Agricole, its marketing research was devoted to the development of an original approach of its customers through a study of life styles. A need for considering the traditional commercial approach from a new angle having been expressed by salesmen, as well as agencies managers and people from the central group, opportunities to try such a system arose spontaneously without anybody showing opposition.
The paper seeks to establish a link between research and advertising, communication and training as they relate to the marketing mix of activities. It indicates that selling is the vital link which provides profit. To that background the functions of communicating information to staff and their training are examined. The paper considers the changing environment in which clearing banks in the United Kingdom now operate and what the role of staff is within that change. The need for communication to the staff and the systems which can be adopted are outlined together with effective methods of training. Individual branch requirements are taken into account and methods of in-branch training arc looked at in line with centrally based courses. Within the topic of business development, the three areas of Service Knowledge, Opportunity Recognition and Presentational Skills are considered. The paper concludes by considering future aspects and developments in the systems for communication and training.
The paper concentrates on how marketing research techniques have been guidelines in the process of developing pioneering bank-marketing strategies directed to the segment 18-30 years of age. Although the communication aspect is emphasised in the paper, it also deals with the influence that research findings have had on market segmentation and on development of new products and service concepts. Due to the art of limitations, focus is on the preliminary steps taken in SR-BANK's strategic approach to the segment in question. The paper shows how findings from non structured, non disguised interviews made with groups led to a simple model of segmenting the market and to the identification of critical points, phases and moments regarding young persons selection of a bank. And further how the findings also affected the development of new products and service concepts as well as the creation of untraditional promotion activities.
One of the commitments of Citicorp is to provide the climate and resources that will enable all staff members to advance on merit as far as their talents and skills will take them. This is part of the Citicorp approach to concern for individual staff members. The effective people manager knows and understands the attitudes of staff members he supervises. However, in a large and dynamic work force it is frequently difficult for management at all levels to stay well informed.
To illustrate what I mean here, let us take as an example the advertising campaign, entitled "The Bank of the Future, Your Future Bank, conducted by Credit Lyonnais over the last six months. An advertising campaign was thus the first step, not simply to transmit information between transmitters (Credit Lyonnais) and receivers (the public at large), but rather to construct a communications system which would put several integrated media to work in a specific environment.
To illustrate what I mean here, let us take as an example the advertising campaign, entitled "The Bank of the Future, Your Future Bank, conducted by Credit Lyonnais over the last six months. An advertising campaign was thus the first step, not simply to transmit information between transmitters (Credit Lyonnais) and receivers (the public at large), but rather to construct a communications system which would put several integrated media to work in a specific environment.
This paper describes the work which has been carried out by Norwich Union Insurance, a successful long- established insurance company, and its advertising agency, Harrison McCann, in evolving an advertising and communications strategy for the business. Extensive research, both qualitative and quantitative, has been done to develop and refine a creative solution in accord with the needs of the market and to assess the effects of the campaign over the longer-term.
In the past decade the application of marketing and research techniques to financial markets has become widespread in most European countries. The paper gives examples of applications in communications research for financial service marketing including studies among consumers on bank image and new banking services, among finance directors on bank advertising and among insurance brokers on perceptions of insurance companies. These examples indicate the importance of communicating the strengths of financial organisations and their services to existing and potential customers, and the role of quality of service as a factor influencing customer decisions in many financial markets. Increased effectiveness can be achieved in financial marketing in the 1980's through research to develop messages relevant to consumer perceptions and priorities, and to monitor the effect of marketing communication by tracking advertising recall, awareness and attitudes.
The nationalization of credit, currently being carried out in France is an extreme example of this type of "disturbance". It is therefore entirely appropriate to examine the main aspects of the effect this political decision has had on banking communication and the various forms it may assume. In doing so we will have to distinguish between the effects of the nationalization process as it takes place and the medium and long-term consequences of this measure which may be glimpsed. But it would be wise to preface this study by giving some thought to the following question: can the image of banks and bankers be held to be a cause of nationalization considering that the image results from the expression of the quality of the profession's insertion into its environment?