Heartwood Media Case Study: Bank of New Hampshire
How video makes a big impact on brand awareness and business development for a state-wide bank.
Situation:
The banking field in New Hampshire is relatively crowded and highly competitive. Bank of New Hampshire’s name change in 2012 brought about the need for ads that would help elevate their brand above the clutter in the market – in short, to stand out and promote top-of-mind awareness. Becoming well known as a trusted, local business bank was also very important to help grow the commercial division.
Goals:
- Build brand awareness for the new name throughout New Hampshire – previously Laconia Savings Bank, now Bank of New Hampshire. Tell the unique story behind what being New Hampshire’s Local Bank really means.
- Grow the commercial banking division and provide unforgettable customer service to business clients so BNH will be considered for their personal needs as well. Encourage new relationships with NH Businesses that have strong networks and can give referrals to both consumers and other businesses.
Strategy:
Create video stories for Television and the Internet to accomplish two marketing goals:
- Increase strategic brand awareness by communicating that Bank of New Hampshire is New Hampshire’s local bank – a community bank that loves New Hampshire.
- Produce testimonial-based TV ads that tell authentic, real-life stories of commercial banking clients. Show NH small business owners that BNH is a local banking partner who understands their business challenges and needs.
Execution:
Step 1 – Write and produce Branding and Technology TV spots to reinforce the idea of a sophisticated but neighborly state-wide bank. Use motion graphics to portray iconic NH imagery that conveys a sense of community, local decision making from people you trust, and a nationwide network of ATMs. Emphasize that BNH has everything the multi-state banks have, plus more localized personal attention.
Step 2 – Focus on business banking with a series of 30-second testimonial TV commercials that tell personal small business stories relating how Bank of New Hampshire is always there when needed. Feature in each spot a commercial banking customer talking about what “makes them go” and how having a relationship with BNH gives them the peace of mind to do the things they love.
We created the “Business Banking with Passion” campaign and produced 5 TV commercials. The spots feature scenes of real customers pursuing their passions – riding their motorcycle, motivational speaking, making wine, hiking and flying – to show how their partnership with Bank of New Hampshire gives them more time to enjoy life in New Hampshire. The commercials were shot at locations across the state, reinforcing the idea of a statewide bank.
Results:
The Bank of New Hampshire marketing and executive teams are thrilled with the quality of the video and effectiveness of the campaign.
The advertising significantly helped lift several brand equity indicators:
- Top-of-mind awareness increased 26% in the market.
- Positive feelings about Bank of New Hampshire rose 51%.
Bank of New Hampshire’s Vice President – Marketing Officer, Lindsay Cota-Robles spoke enthusiastically about Heartwood Media’s video production quality and the success of the advertising, “The spots tell great stories about our small business owner clients. Their heart and soul is really the message – that when we can assist their business on some level, they have more time for themselves. They can pursue their passion… The spots did just what they were supposed to do…
“People are coming out of the woodwork asking to become a part of the campaign. We‘d done testimonials, but not at this level before. They’re very memorable and really connect, telling a personal story with so much feeling behind it…
“This campaign really breaks the mold of being all about the bank. It was nice to do it in a different way. We’re in a service industry and it’s really about helping them and less about us. We were going for brand awareness and trust of business owners and the spots really helped us accomplish that.”
Do you have your own story to tell? Do you have customers who would speak on your behalf in video testimonials? Contact us with any questions or to discuss a video project. 603-665-9191 or info@heartwoodmedia.com
