CHALLENGE
Budapest Bank was founded in 1987, at the time of the establishment of the two-tier banking system in Hungary. Since then, as one of the 8 big banks, it has been providing a full range of financial services to retail customers, small businesses, and corporations.
It has a nationwide reach, with around 100 branches and 2,800 employees. It remained profitable even during the recession and has been so ever since.
In 2015, Republic Group developed a new communication platform for Budapest Bank, based on the new slogan “Believe, it’s possible”. Thus, consumers were presented with a positive, forward-looking, and friendly bank image.
SOLUTION
In addition to the platform, Republic Group also renewed the bank’s overall image, with a focus on the identifiable yet distinctive image of its subsidiaries and business lines, in addition to the universal image. Among these, the image of the Money+ private banking business, which offers outstanding services, was prominent.
For the flagship Personal and Small Business Loan campaign, 20 and 30 second tactical TV spots were created, which achieved the dual purpose of communicating Budapest Bank’s new message through stories linked to the bank’s featured product offerings, and raised awareness of the then actual offerings. A friendly tone of voice and the use of roller skates as the key visual are the most striking elements in the new films.
The music is a reimagined, 21st century version of the old classic hit “I only need Budapest” (“Nekem csak Budapest kell”), which both provided a pleasant and catchy melody for the films and acted as a strong audiovisual anchor for the campaign.
RESULTS
In 2016, Budapest Bank won the “Best Communicating Bank of the Year” award in the MasterCard Bank of the Year competition, thanks to the platform and successful campaigns designed and implemented by Republic Group.
The bank’s visibility and acceptance among consumers also increased significantly since the platform and image change. The individual campaigns all exceeded the business objectives set in advance. Budapest Bank positioned itself effectively and was perceived as a friendly bank by a significant part of the target group.