Union Bank’s rebrand reflects new proposition

Union Bank’s new brand identity, which was unveiled October 2015, has won two gold awards at the Transform Awards MENA 2016 held in Dubai recently.

The bank won the award for ‘Best Brand Development to Reflect Changed Mission/Vision/Positioning,’ beating Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Bank Al Bilad, Gulf Finance, VOX, Bahrain Finance Company and Commercial Bank of Dubai. It also won ‘Best Visual Identity From The Financial Services Sector,’ beating Bank ABC, ADCB, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Gulf Finance and MAF Finance, a statement said.

Emeka Emuwa, the bank’s CEO, said: “Our award winning identity reflects our new proposition to make banking simpler and smarter for our customers. Following the brand launch, Union Bank has introduced two innovative savings products – UnionKorrect and UnionGoal to the Nigerian market. We have rolled out the new identity in 80 branches across the country, ensuring that our customers are able to bank in a modern and professional environment. We continue to launch new branches every quarter.

“Our technology and banking platform upgrades, along with the transformation of our processes have reduced our transaction processing time by over 20 percent. The impact of these changes are being felt by our customers and reflected in reputable independent surveys which show a marked improvement in Union Bank’s industry rankings on customer service. We are also attracting new customers to the bank and growing our overall customer base, which boosted our deposit book by 12 percent in 2015.

“Given the positive feedback we have received on the new identity, locally and now internationally, Union Bank will continue to push forward to ensure that our products and services continue to reflect our brand proposition.”

Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, head of corporate affairs and communication, who managed the rebranding exercise, said in a statement, “To be recognised at the Transform Awards and competing against premier brands across Middle East and Africa is truly a fantastic validation of the hard work that went into the development and execution of our new identity.

“Our brand identity is a critical piece of Union Bank’s overall transformation and our goal was to depict a more contemporary and energetic institution, while maintaining our authenticity and key elements of the brand heritage.

“We are extremely pleased to share this success with our agency, Landor, who led the creative effort and worked with us in great collaboration and partnership throughout the entire process.”