By DAPHNE UDUNEJE
Determined to live true to one of its pay off lines, which projects it as the pacesetter in the banking industry, First Bank Nigeria in a historic move has unveiled ‘ Making a Giant of you’ Campaign, reinstating its customer-centric focus over the years.
‘Making a Giant of You’ made its debut in a grand private screening event at the highbrow Ebony Place cinema Victoria Island Lagos. The bank proudly unveiled a new campaign to the applause of a capacity filled hall, as it speaks of its impact on people and businesses across industries and climes in the new thematic campaign with focus on its capacity to do more aided by technology
Falling back on 130 years pedigree, First Bank navigates, the tough business terrain in bold strides, while making giants of businesses through a holistic approach that’s second to none. Organisations, governments and individuals, have benefited from the banks magnanimity as their dreams were turned into business successes.
To assert its trailblazing instinct and affirm its giant status, First Bank in 2007 brought a live Elephant to the streets of Marina, its headquarters premises in Lagos. The landmark campaign that ensued has remained evergreen and unparalled. It ushered the bank and its target publics into its 2007 groundbreaking public offer. As a fallout of the milestone campaign, the bank explored the associated ‘bragging right’, it emerged with its equally popular but now retired “Truly the First” campaign.
Amazingly, till today the bank has an elephant in its logo but recall in 2014 when it marked 120 years of operation, it redesigned the elephant icon. Then, it explained that the iconic elephant symbol remains the same with new changes including; a higher head demonstrating stature and pride, and a larger tusk indicating age and heritage.
The ear is less pointy and friendlier. The trunk is longer and lifted. The end of the trunk is no longer curled inward but is pointing outwards showing pride and charisma. The eye is looking up into the future and to the new horizons for the banking group.
10 years later, the bank launched the ‘Giant in You’ campaign marking its 130th anniversary. Maybe it will bring giants to our streets or neighborhoods soon as activation to engage customers!
The campaign according to the bank is aimed at empowering, inspiring, enabling, and supporting dreamers, achievers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and everyday people to transcend the ordinary and begin to think giant thoughts, take giant steps, make giant strides, achieve giant goals, become giant successes and live the giant lifestyle.
It added that the central message of the campaign is “There is a Giant in You…FirstBank puts You First so you can, Live the Giant Life”
Commenting on the thematic campaign, Yinka Ijabiyi, Head of Brands and Stakeholder Management said “The FirstBank thematic brand campaign is designed to show our customers that, throughout our 130-year history, we have been nurturing and creating giants, and we are committed to continuing this legacy.”
At FirstBank, we believe everyone has the potential to be a giant. For over 130 years, we have empowered individuals and businesses to achieve their dreams. Let’s take giant strides together and turn your ambitions into reality,” he stated.
Similarly, Abimbola Meshinoye, Head of Brand Strategy and Financial Planning, FirstBank explained further that the campaign seeks to highlight how the bank empowers its stakeholders to achieve success.
The creative campaign focused on the full corporate Television Commercial (TVC) and Products TVC which include FirstMobile, FirstOnline, FirstDiaspora, and XploreFirst. The creative was handled by So&U, one of Nigeria’s leading advertising agencies.
The headline for one of the copies for print and online advert reads “Ready to take Giant Strides?” while the body reads “With 130 years of making Giants of our customers under our belt, let FirstBank be your partner of choice in scaling your business” and the call to action reads “Ignite the Giant in you today”. It used the illustration of a giant foot and displayed its 130th-anniversary logo at the top left corner.
The above copy explains that the bank aims to provide all the necessary business support, financial know-how, growth solutions, channels, and platforms to bring out the giant in every one of its customers.
Similarly, in the TVCs, the bank used a businessman, a businesswoman, and a student as models revealing that after they took the giant strides of leveraging on its financial solutions their lives transformed as well as their businesses and they grew to become giants.
Beyond the physical display of customers becoming giants, the bank is invariably saying that when individuals and businesses partner with them they will become leaders and winners in their business and life.
The campaign is also coming at a time when the country is facing economic challenges, some businesses have had to close shop and some individuals have lost hope. FirstBank is rekindling the spirit of Nigerians and Africans that there is a giant in every man and the future is bright.
The TVC showcased the use of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality, Banking of Things, and others to position the bank as a tech-driven financial institution.
Today, technology deployment is the driver of successful businesses and the bank is saying that at the centre of its operations are technology-enabled solutions that customers can access anywhere and at any time without visiting the banking hall that the TVC showcased.
FirstBank transcends generations, at 130 years many still think it is the bank for senior citizens but it is changing that narrative and this campaign aims to further reassure Nigerians and Africans that it is for everybody whether young or old, poor or rich.
Remarkably, young people constitute a larger percentage of Nigeria’s population, and it is essential for any brand that wants to capture a larger percentage of the market share to strategically reach them.
FirstBank is indirectly passing the message that it is youth-centric and has dedicated solutions for the market. It also leveraged tech in all the TVCs which resonates with most youth today who are mostly tech¬savvy. It showed how a businessman, a businesswoman, and a student used the technology seamlessly.
FirstBank has restated its commitment to enabling, inspiring, and supporting its customers with a comprehensive range of financial services to help them achieve their dreams and live their best lives.
It also pledged to provide businesses with the right platforms and solutions needed to grow, initiate, and execute bold ideas.
It is noteworthy that this new campaign can inspire Nigeria which is regarded as the ‘Giant of Africa’ to unleash the giant within it and fully achieve its full potential. It is also a wake-up call for Africa to awaken the giant within it.