Case Study
Breaking Through the Noise with a Brand Refresh
The Client & Challenge
A regional credit union needed to refresh their brand and reevaluate their core point of differentiation to keep up in a fiercely competitive industry. Data from the credit union’s existing brand tracking program had revealed a clear disconnect between their target audience’s rising expectations and the brand experience they were having. With a brand refresh already in development, the credit union knew they needed to take a deeper dive into their target audience’s changing attitudes if they wanted a successful rollout.
First, they wanted to understand how perceptions of their banking features, benefits, and overall image had changed over time. Second, they wanted to tap into the emotional connections and associations clients had with financial wellness to ensure offerings met their most pressing needs. Finally, they wanted to gauge the alignment of their intended brand positioning and new messaging with their target audience’s values, and ensure it resonated with existing customers.
The Solution
The DRG partnered with the credit union and their contracted ad agency to help guide the brand repositioning process, beginning with a framework of brand health KPIs to shape our approach.
Then, working closely with the credit union and ad agency, we designed a hybrid qualitative-quantitative brand study. On the qualitative side, we conducted a series of targeted focus groups and captured rich feedback on the credit union’s key features, brand perceptions, and points of differentiation. We then used this feedback to guide the design for a quantitative online survey used to identify the key marketing messages which resonated most with the credit union’s target audience.
As an additional quality measure, we also critically reviewed and refreshed the credit union’s standing brand tracking framework to adhere to current best practices and reflect key findings from our studies. Then, to ensure a seamless transition, establish a new baseline for the program, and meet additional brand health needs, we conducted a research wave using the updated framework.
The Wins
The research yielded significant marketing insights that guided the development of a new brand campaign strategy for the credit union. Their ad agency team used key findings to refine the credit union’s brand identity, determine which points of differentiation to focus on, and decide which campaign messaging to move forward with. The research results also helped the credit union reallocate their marketing resources based on a better understanding of customers’ needs, values, and perceptions. Because of the success of this initial partnership, this credit union continues to partner with us to consistently identify brand health strengths, pinpoint opportunities to refine marketing initiatives and investments, and ensure their brand tracking approach is best-in-class.
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