I came across Kiwi Bank’s website and boy am I glad I did! How refreshing is it to see a bank that is willing to step out of traditional, corporate and “safe” branding of yesterday and step into 2009. The best part of this site is the homepage banner, which is interactive and extremely attractive to a new visitor who may be “shopping” for a new bank. My only gripe is that interactive elements weren’t also used on the secondary pages, which is a pity because they definitely add visual interest.
The bank positions itself as being “100% Kiwi owned” and brags about “taking on the Aussie banks and giving Kiwis better value”. Their proud, local, not-from-Australia branding is sure to attract New Zealanders who want to keep their money in the community, or just those who hold a little grudge against their next door neighbor.
The website indicates that Kiwi Bank has a specific target market in mind. They know who they want to attract and made sure their branding and the website functionality are directed towards this target market. Their “vive la résistance!” position against foreign bank ownership is probably not going to resonate with everyone, (there are some people who simply don’t care), but it definitely has a sizeable and very receptive audience in New Zealand.
So many times we see banks that truly want to differentiate themselves, but are reluctant to define a target market or adopt a position that doesn’t speak to everyone. They always choose to go the safe route (and often subjectively choose a campaign look, which has nothing to do with their brand position) and wonder why a certain product isn’t selling. Banks, it is time to wake up and take a stand!
As you may know, we at CBC believe that you can’t be everything to everyone and this is a great example of a bank proving that story.
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Wow, thanks for the find. Very cool and unique website indeed. Kiwi nailed it.
Yes, I totally agree. They’re obviously not afraid to embrace their market and direct their marketing and branding accordingly. In addition, they were willing to invest into the website knowing that a younger demographic will bank online.