Article Abstract:
Wells Fargo & Co's good reputation as a retail banking pioneer is being clouded by the negative publicity generated by its recent acquisition of First Interstate Bancorp. While the bank is highly respected for its many important innovations, including supermarket banking, Internet banking, and small business lending through credit scoring and direct mail, it will take a long time for it to recover from the damage caused by the poor execution of the merger integration. Chmn and CEO Paul Hazen, who admits that the business philosophies employed in the deal were sound but the execution itself was poor, is now preoccupied with making up for lost ground instead of propelling his organization forward. Wells Fargo's experience demonstrates that uneven performance can undermine even the most carefully thought out strategy.
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Article Abstract:
Chase Manhattan Corp has embarked on an ambitious program that involves the banking industry's first attempt to apply the branding strategy successfully used by consumer product companies. Testing the theory that a clear and attractive identity can improve customer loyalty and offer greater control over pricing, America's largest bank is now aggressively promoting itself as 'The Relationship Bank.' Its new $60 million advertising campaign, which includes nationwide print, television and radio ads, seeks to promote Chase products and services using the slogan 'The Right Relationship is Everything.' However, the bank's branding program goes beyond advertising and image. It is a comprehensive scheme that also involves widespread process reengineering and technology upgrades.
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Article Abstract:
Kenneth T. Stevens, chairman and CEO of Bank One's retail group, believes that the key to transforming the bank into a great retailer is to tailor marketing campaigns to customer needs instead of developing marketing strategies to sell products. He and Bank One chief executive John McCoy are determined to push the bank to the top of the US retail banking industry and have formulated metrics to measure its progress toward this goal. Stevens believes that Bank One can continue focusing on customer needs and offering personal service even as it grows bigger. He claims that the bank can outperform its smaller competitors in this area because it has more resources to place into the service of its customers.
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