First Chicago Banking Centers in Illinois were undertaking a name change to Bank One. They needed to generate awareness and excitement within their target market, while making the transition seamless for their existing customer base. A marketing strategy was developed that would employ a sales promotion and brand recognition campaign.

c h a l l e n g e
The task was to clearly promote awareness of the name change to the existing First Chicago customer base and banking center sales teams while helping to retain a loyal customer base. The strategy had to provide answers regarding access to existing accounts, product offering, additional benefits and opportunities during the transition.

s o l u t i o n
A powerful theme line “We’re still Chicago’s Bank” was introduced and integrated within the banking center system and the community. The focused campaign included merchandising, collateral for employees and customers, print and interactive. Customer preference had to be retained during the transition period, research showed that if there was confusion in the message, customers could close existing accounts within the first 30 days of the merger.

r e s u l t s
This powerful, focused approach retained over 92% of the customer base of First Chicago and drove top-of-mind awareness for Bank One products during the first 60 days of the merger. Banking center sales teams embraced the marketing support making the transition easier than expected.