Santa Claus knows a thing or two about branding. After all, who doesn’t know about Santa? He’s top-of-mind every Christmas season. He’s lovable and easy to understand. He’s iconic.
You want your brand to be like Santa…a visit from Santa.
In the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (also commonly called “The Night Before Christmas”), the narrator talks about a memorable encounter with the legendary figure. And you want people to have a memorable encounter with your bank or credit union branding too. Here are some ways for your institution to take people on a Santa Claus brand journey using "The Night Before Christmas" formula.
- “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” – This line comes before Santa’s visit. Everything is quiet…maybe unexciting. But that’s about to change. Were your consumers’ lives worse before they encountered your brand? If their lives are the same (or worse) after meeting you, something went horribly wrong. You want to add joy, ease or excitement to people’s lives. Meeting your brand should change something for the better.
- “When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter” – Santa’s arrival is hard to miss. How about your brand’s presence? Is it hard to miss? Many financial institution brands get lost in the marketplace. Do something to grab consumer attention. Distinguish yourself from everyone else, and don’t be shy about self-promotion. The squeaky wheel gets the new accounts and loans.
- “With a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick” – The narrator instantly identifies Santa. Can your consumers quickly know you based on your bank or credit union brand personality? And your “brand personality” is not your logo and color palette – it’s who you are. Santa is described as “lively.” People might describe you as tenacious, gleeful or thoughtful. Hopefully no one refers to you as boring. Build a personality consumers find interesting and attractive (while reflecting the culture that actually exists in your organization).
- “His eyes – how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!” – Santa’s appearance is striking. Is yours? While visuals don’t come first, they still matter. Dull visuals might drive people away from an intriguing brand. Your identity deserves a logo, graphic style and more that accentuates its greatness.
- “But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight – ‘Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night” – The well-known Christmas farewell at the end of the poem leaves you feeling happy and fulfilled. How do your members or customers feel leaving you? Obviously, you want them feeling satisfied, secure and a range of other positive emotions. The challenge is making sure they feel this way after every interaction. Even one bad experience can sour a brand, so don’t skip consistent training for your employees. Operationalize your brand. If nobody lives your bank or credit union branding, not a single consumer will ever love your brand.
Are you making any brand changes? You need reindeer to put power behind developing your new Santa Claus brand journey. Enlist On The Mark Strategies to guide you through a bank or credit union rebrand and take to the sky. Book a free consultation today.
