Rabobank
REGIONAL FOCUS
Building on the past
Internalfocus
Greaterperspective
Executive decision
Prospective clients are, naturally, also a key target group in the
bank's awareness building plans. Howell explains, 'A survey
late last year revealed that almost half the people we'd like to
have as clients are not aware of Rabobank. A prospective
cliënt may have encountered PIBA in the past and chosen not
to use our services at that point in time. But a year from now
s/he may think, "I will use its services but where has PIBA
gone? And who is Rabobank?" Ensuring we have a solid,
consistent presence in the rural market is paramount.' For this
reason, the first advertisements to appear, some time before
the positioning advertisements mentioned above, simply
highlighted the name change, (see the 'Cow' advertisement,
page 21). Additionally, desk calendars were distributed to
referral sources such as accountants with the same message:
'PIBA is now Rabobank: same thing, different name.'
One could be forgiven for thinking that the re-branding
process ended with the public launch on March 3, 2003, of
the 'new' Rabobank Australia brand. However, according to
Howell, 'We've only just started. We've developed the core
values of the brand and now we have to embed them in the
organization. We must continue thinking about how
Rabobank is perceived by clients and prospective clients. And
we must continue to focus on internal Communications.'
'I agree,' says Dick. 'In the immediate future, we have to deal
sensitively with people, be they colleagues or clients, who have
fond memories of PIBA. This means acknowledging our
brand's heritage. Just as our logo states, we possess a greater
perspective. Our perspective encompasses the proud history of
the brand while also allowing us to look ahead. Our business
in Australia and New Zealand has been averaging in excess of
20% annual growth, compounding. It's been growing very
rapidly over the last ten years. We have no reason to believe
that will stop in the next ten years; it's a market that has an
appetite for increased debt levels. As we build our presence in
the market, we expect to gain an increasing share of that. All
in all, we are projecting a very bright future for the F&A
business and Rabobank in Australia.'
/ra recent months, the Group's Executive Board and
Cbairman have been seriously reconsidering the
effects of the proposal, outlined in the last issue of The
Word, to create a distinct Rabobank wholesale brand. It
has been decided that the most logical way to proceed is
not to use the grey wholesale logo for wholesale Commu
nications, as previewed in the last issue of this magazine,
but to re-brand the bank's wholesale entities, including
RI, under one brand expression - Rabobank (pictured
below).
What this means is that there is now only one brand for
all Communications from the Group,' says Roel van
Veggel, Head of Wholesale Communications. 'It is
firmly believed that a stronger brand will develop if all
entities use one logo.
While the logo, or 'hero' space as it is referred to, should
not be altered in any way for use in marketing commu-
nication activities, Van Veggel says there is still some
room for creativity. 'The way you present yourself
through tone, style and message can still be targeted to
your relevant markets.A practical example of this can
be seen on the newly launched wholesale portal
www.Rabobank.com, the wholesale offering's primary
communication tooi. The site's striking visual design
features wholesale's ttew-look corporate identity, which
is quite different from the retail site www.Rabobank.nl,
while still using the 'hero' logo.
'Throughout the year, we will
be confirming the exact policy
and the implementation
process for the various mar
kets,' concludes Van Veggel.
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The Word I 23
