FAB Private Banking — Brand positioning & content framework

A three-part engagement: competitor analysis, brand positioning for FAB Private Banking, and a content framework.

CLIENT

SECTOR

Banking & Private Wealth

YEAR

2023

DELIVERABLES

Brand Positioning, Content Strategy

STORY

THE CHALLENGE

FAB is the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates, established in April 2017 through the merger of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank, with a network spanning more than 19 countries.

As a newly merged bank serving rapidly changing markets, FAB Private Banking was unclear about how it compared to its competitors. It needed to know what made it unique in order to communicate its viability as a banking solution to stakeholders. Without that information, its positioning would remain both understated and undervalued.

The bank also needed a content marketing strategy that would build trust and unique experiences for current and prospective clients, raising its competitiveness in digital and physical spaces to that of the world’s foremost private banks, such as UBS and Julius Baer.

OUR APPROACH

We provided a three-part solution.

Data and insights. We conducted a competitor analysis using the latest data analytics toolkit to ascertain the digital presence and keyword competitiveness of FAB Private Banking’s five largest competitors, as well as their brand positioning, content output and authenticity to brand promise. We also interviewed FAB Private Banking executives and other stakeholders to determine what gives the bank an edge over its competitors.

Brand positioning. Those interviews, combined with an overview of the bank’s history, services and strategic goals, produced a brand positioning document covering FAB Private Banking’s current positioning and aspirations, with brand promises, brand statements and touch words to unify the voice of FAB Private Banking.

Content marketing framework. We then mapped FAB Private Banking’s content marketing strategy for the following several years, breaking the identified touchpoints into a content pyramid of five levels, with recommendations for how frequently each type of content or platform should be used to engage stakeholders and potential clients.

The objective was to establish what already set FAB Private Banking apart, and to give the bank language to communicate it clearly and consistently.

THE OUTCOME

Using the competitive analysis, FAB Private Banking capitalised on the organisational attributes that distinguish it from the competition, accentuating the qualities it excels at.

Guided by the language and identity markers provided in the brand positioning document, the private bank can communicate with its stakeholders using a unified voice.

FAB took on many of the content solutions recommended in the content strategy, especially the private events, which deepened its relationships with clients and other stakeholders. The strategy also jumpstarted the bank’s commitment to original multimedia content production, which we continued to work on with them.