Brand Consulting and Design Firm, Landor Transforms Nigeria’s Leading Commercial Bank
Union Bank of Nigeria, one of Africa’s most prominent banks, has undergone a transformational rebrand led by the global strategic brand consulting and design firm Landor.
The near-century-old Nigerian heritage bank is a highly regarded financial institution serving millions of customers in the region. However, recent years have seen the financial market evolve with the emergence of new, technologically savvy competitors, introducing challenges for established brands like Union Bank.
Research carried out by Landor revealed that Union Bank was a highly trusted choice of Nigerians, yet it wasn’t considered to be “moving with the times.” The study also showed that many consumers felt banking in general was more complex than it needed to be, owing to ongoing complications with slow service and underdeveloped infrastructure.
In addition, while newer banks were sometimes viewed as more cutting edge, their services were often deemed inefficient and less trustworthy than those of the older banks. Such perceptions created a perfect opportunity for Union Bank to capitalize on its heritage of trust while repositioning itself as a more dynamic yet simple bank to work with.
Landor’s rebrand of Union Bank hinged on a broad strategy to make the bank more efficient, competitive, and relevant to customers. This included updating technology infrastructure, improving customer care channels, upgrading branches, and launching teller-less banks.
The new brand expression has transformed the banking process to make it simpler and hassle free, allowing customers to spend more time on important tasks.
Riaan Muller, client director at Landor Cape Town, said: “We were thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with one of Nigeria’s leading banks. We’re proud of the resulting work, which tells the story of the bank’s commitment to delivering simple banking solutions for its customers. So less time banking, more time achieving. A powerful story in today’s world.”
Emeka Emuwa, CEO and group managing director, Union Bank, said: “Selecting Landor to lead our rebranding effort was a deliberate choice because, given the challenge to reposition a storied institution like Union Bank and its narrative in recent years, we needed an agency that would come in with fresh eyes and approach this project collaboratively. The Landor team brought the depth of experience we needed, worked with us to understand the salient issues the brand needed to address, and challenged us during the creative development phase of the project. We believe we have arrived at an authentic brand proposition and identity for Union Bank, which will position us effectively to compete in a very dynamic Nigerian market.”
Source: Landor
