Newtown Savings Bank
Positioning The Brand
During my years on the account, Newtown Savings Bank encountered an increasingly competitive landscape. National banks were becoming more aggressive in the state, while local and regional banks underwent numerous mergers and consolidations. How could we differentiate our brand and help it stand out?
Insight First
Speaking to customers and bank employees, we discovered a powerful differentiator. Tellers and bankers go the extra mile to help customers see a bigger picture and develop their financial literacy. While this was core to their mission as a community bank, they hadn’t really emphasized it in their advertising. We ran it by focus groups, and it resonated. So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.
Brand Voice
To emphasize this differentiator, we decided the bank needed a significantly more strident tone of voice. I wrote brand values that positioned the bank as a helpful educator with an honest, no-nonsense attitude. To make the persona even more tangible, we channeled the personality of Paul Reiser in the role of Doug Getty from the Red Oaks series on Amazon Prime. His wry tone inspired headlines with just enough pointed humor to put the campaign over the top.
The Redesign
For years (possibly decades), the bank used a red, white and blue color palette. This blended in with the rest of the banking category and was a poor match for the new tone of voice we were developing. Instead of tossing it aside, we evolved it. Softer blues, reds and other colors were paired with a medium-light grey. These understated hues created an effective counterbalance for our new, wry messaging.
