The Brand Union Middle East launches ‘benchmark’ banking brand

CEO of Al Hilal Bank declares new brand will set regional standards

The Brand Union, one of the world’s leading branding consultancies, recently unveiled its creation of the brand for the region’s newest bank – Al Hilal Bank.

This announcement further establishes The Brand Union’s dedication to brand mastery and the fields of banking and finance. Its past high profile financial brand development includes Saudi brands Al Rajhi Bank and Tawuniya Insurance and the global leader Credit Suisse.

Al Hilal Bank selected The Brand Union for its proficiency in aligning business and brand strategies to create memorable and valuable brand worlds.

Our ambition is to become a leader and that is why we chose the Brand Union because they are leaders in branding with a combination of regional experience and global expertise,” said Al Hilal CEO, Mohammad Berro.

Driven by Shariah compliance, the bank provides progressive financial products and personalised services to build value for all key stakeholders.

Building a powerful brand is fundamental to our future success and we felt that The Brand Union’s strategic and creative approach would help us develop a brand which stands out in the public eye now and in the future,” added Berro.

The Brand Union utilised their global network and resources to conduct extensive trend and market analysis, combined with customised qualitative audience research across the UAE.

Our research discovered that, globally, the banking industry has suffered from fiscal policies that have meant continual cutbacks on staff in an effort to become more profitable. The result has been a gradual shift towards to unfriendly automated services and less interaction with people,” says The Brand Union’s Executive Director of Strategy, Michael Hughes.

The agency’s strategy work identified a growing demand for Islamic banking products and services but also highlighted the belief that Islamic banks’ service and product offerings are inferior to that of conventional banks.

In the UAE, while customers have a lot of choice most banks are not building differentiation or customer loyalty. The Brand Union and Al Hilal recognised the opportunity to develop a bank that puts ‘people first’ - at the heart of the brand,” concluded Hughes.

The Brand Union developed a brand concept that revolves around personalising the Al Hilal brand experience for all its customers.

The unique brand identity for Al Hilal Bank follows the strategic lead of placing the customer at the centre,” commented The Brand Union’s Executive Director of Creative, Matthew Laubscher.

The square depicts that the customer is at the centre of everything we do and also illustrates the importance of attending to the individual needs of our customers, while the circle represents Al Hilal Bank and our all-embracing approach to its customers,” adds Laubscher.

The customer-centric approach, lead the conceptualisation and design of a truly different branch environment. A key brand touch point, The Brand Union crafted the environments to encourage customers to enjoy the banking experience.

The basis of this experience is about exhibition and education. A fundamental part of the customer journey is the element of a community hub. This community hub showcases Islamic Artists, photographers, historical exhibitions, and more,” concluded Laubscher.

The Brand Union’s brand experience team created a world first with the concept of a ‘banking mall’. The signature branch in Al Sahel, Abu Dhabi is the epitome of a new banking experience where each sector has its own unique touch, sense, look and personality. Through research and collaboration with Al Hilal Bank, The Brand Union tapped into what each customer segment responds to and how these elements can be instilled into the environment.

The brand created for Al Hilal bank has set a new approach and benchmark for the banking industry and we have made it extremely difficult for anyone to compete with us,” concluded Berro.

Al Hilal Bank currently has four branches - two in Abu Dhabi, one in Al Ain and one in Dubai but plans to have 10 branches by the end of this year and 20 branches by next year expanding to other regions of the UAE.

Over the last 12 months we have developed a genuine partnership with Al Hilal. We are extremely proud of the support and encouragement Al Hilal has extended to us through the establishment of our Abu Dhabi office,” says The Brand Union’s Managing Director of Abu Dhabi, Toby Southgate.

We share Al Hilal’s ambition, and we are now working with Al Hilal to develop their brand as they expand rapidly across the region”.