Internal communication of brand re-positioning in Nordea Latvia
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In 2011, Nordea Latvia transitioned from a universal bank to a bank for wealthy customers, necessitating a brand repositioning to align with this new strategy. An internal communication campaign was launched in 2012 to ensure all employees understood the new brand positioning, involving 46 road-shows, a brand book, and a launch event, with high participation rates and employee engagement. The successful campaign was reflected in the widespread use of the new brand slogan in internal communications and high access to the interactive brand book.
Internal communication of brand re-positioning in Nordea Latvia
- 1. Category: INTERNAL COMMUNICATION Nordea Bank Finland Plc Latvia Branch (Latvia) Internal communication of brand re-positioning in Nordea Latvia Nordea Latvia Summary By the end of year 2011 as a response to significantly changing market environment Nordea Latvia changed its business strategy from universal bank to specific target customer bank. Brand re-positioning had to be done to clearly represent the new business strategy, target customers and value proposition. As employees are the most significant brand ambassadors in service business, the goal of internal communication campaign was to ensure that all employees clearly understand and represent the new strategy and brand position. The challenge was to involve all employees, not only management or customer managers, so that everyone understands the reasons of strategy changes and represents the new brand positioning with their everyday work. Internal communication campaign was carried out during first half of year 2012, and included road-shows, brand book, launch event and other internal communication with high employees’ involvement. The assessment criteria was participation rate of employees’ in internal communication undertakings as well as knowledge of employees’ about new brand positioning and business strategy shift. As a result of campaign, absolute majority of employees did get involved, which is approved by brand-book statistics as well as everyday communication. Situation Due to market conditions and shareholders financial goals, Nordea changed its business strategy from universal bank to bank for wealthy customers’ by the end of 2011. To reflect the changes in business strategy, new brand positioning was needed and developed, so that brand can truly represent the bank’s value proposition for target customers and society. Before communicating the new brand position to customers and market, home-work had to be completed - to inform all the employees so that they first understand and represent the new brand position according to bank’s strategy. Objectives As in service industry employees are the brand and therefore represent the brand to customers and co-operation partners by their work and communication, goals of the internal communication campaign were (1) to inform all the employees about new brand positioning and values, (2) to ensure that employees do understand how the brand positioning emerges from business strategy and how this reflects in bank’s everyday work. Strategy As one of the most important success criteria for the internal campaign was participation rate of employees, different ways of how to personally involve employees in the campaign were considered in the internal communication strategy. Internal communication plan moved from (1) exploring the new brand positioning in small groups, to (2) collective emotional event and (3) back to very personal examination of the brand. The communication plan included different communication channels - direct meetings, intranet articles, event marketing, etc., so that the right message could be delivered via right channel, in right time and format. The assessment of the result was participation rate of employees’ in the different phases of the communication. Execution The implementation was carried out in 4 phases: 1. Road-shows in every department and branch office (6 – 20 people groups), explaining reasons and impacts of strategy and brand positioning shift. 2. Brand book creation – made with very personal touch, involving different employees of the bank, who applied for participation through competition, making an internal intrigue around it. 3. Launch event – a celebration for all the employees in cinema, reminding the changes of strategy and how the brand positioning connects with it. Premier of a film – teaser for the brand book and new TV ads. 4. Brand book published in intranet as inter-active page, demanding personal participation (name, photo) to explore it. Time was limited since the road-shows started, so that employees who first hear the story still have it in fresh memory when the launch event is held. All levels of employees were involved; also management took part in all phases. Baltic PR Awards 2012
- 2. Category: INTERNAL COMMUNICATION Documented Results As one of the assessment criteria was participation rate of employees, countable results were: 46 road-shows (in every single bank’s department and branch office), ~ 350 employees took part in launch event (keeping into consideration that regional branch offices had their local events at work place); 454 unique visitors or 94% of employees for interactive brand book www.vairosimpanakumus.lv, and 270 returning visitors. As for non-countable results we would like to add that the new slogan of the brand has become very commonly used in bank’s internal communication – we can hear it in meetings or read in news from different departments in very many contexts, which also approves the success of the internal communication campaign. Baltic PR Awards 2012