NBJ interviewed Galina BANDURKINA, the President of "Astarta", bank told about rebranding procedure, which will allow the bank to stand out from the "crowd" and attract new customers.

NBJ: Now people talk more and more about rebranding. What is the reason of it?

G. BANDURKINA: Any business is a living, evolving phenomenon: it is born, grows, matures and fades. Today, companies which operate successfully for ten years, aware of their need for change. Rebranding may become the key to this strategy. But rebranding is not just a change of visual design but a transition to another level of strategy and business planning.

The causes of rebranding in the bank­ing system are associated with an increased mergers and acquisitions, with major player expansion within the market. The main trend is the tightening competition for bor­rowers. Today, banks have set the ambitious targets in terms of sales, audience develop­ment. Now it is important to stand out from the "crowd", to attract as much potential customers as possible. Our goal is to solve these problems during office registration.

NBJ: What are the trends typical for bank rebranding in Russia?

G. BANDURKINA: Credit organizations "reju­venate" its audience, focusing on paying customers under the age of 35 years. Due to them the banks started to use social net­works, where they are actively developing their pages. Monitoring shows that info-graphics is an effective tool of customer attraction. It depicts the characters of com­puter games and cartoons. Most popular game is Angry Birds. These toys have all preschoolers, and banks through the favor­ite images of toddlers sent information to their parents.

To attract an audience from 35 years and older the images are used that may cause nostalgia. The task of the architect is to create a special indoor atmosphere of trust and confidence in a bank.

If we talk about the most interesting segment for banks these are the Russians with the incomes above the average ones. Respectable offices are developed for such clients. Designers develop buildings where a person feels himself well protected and safe.

NBJ: What is about regular customers' loyalty preservation during rebranding?

G. BANDURKINA: Taking into account our experience, I believe that it is necessary to conduct a study before the rebranding. It is necessary to know what customers bring the major share of revenues, to identify the range of their interests. Then the bank will be able to keep up with this audience. How­ever, rebranding should provide growth potential for business i.e. to attract atten­tion, and most importantly, gain the trust of new customers.

Another strategic objective is the work motivation increase among the bank employees. Back office equipment provides a comfortable environment for the whole team. This rebranding helps to attract and retain qualified personnel. For example, our call-centers are created with such a level of sound insulation, which allows manag­ers to communicate with the bank clients in a peaceful atmosphere. Our experts say: "Smile and you will be heard!" Another point: if a bank started rebranding, you need to prepare the staff for it, which is the face and voice of the business. Managers need to tell customers in an interesting and accessi­ble way about the changes which took place in the company and why.

NBJ: What are the client challenges for your company?

G. BANDURKINA: These challenges are completely different: from the creation of call-centers to the full facility provision for an office with a necessary requirement to observe a corporate identity. All depends on the bank concept. Designers develop the project focusing on this concept. I'll note that the unique projects development allows to build up the offices that meet the Central Bank requirements. We under­stand that the purpose of regulation is to ensure the safety of life and bank funds.