Industry Specific Marketing: Banktastic

According to Martha Bartlett Piland, MB Piland Advertising + Marketing’s new division, Banktastic, helps banks and financial organizations differentiate themselves and better position themselves in a crowded marketplace.

“Because we work with a lot of bankers we know what concerns them, what keeps them up at night, what worries them, that is part of our job to help them figure it out.  It seemed like a logical fit for us as we continue to grow and be relevant in the market place. It was an area we could leverage further because we have so much experience there. We will continue to do the work that we have been doing for the past 20 years for banking and financial institutions like branding, websites, marketing strategies, training and cultural development, but in addition, since financial institutions often struggle to reach and communicate effectively with millennials, Banktastic will have a National Millennial Advisory Board as an offering to Banktastic clients,” Bartlett Piland said.

Banktastic Millennial Advisory Board will be comprised of 200 millennials located all across the country. The millennial board will will help Banktastic’s clients receive marketing insights from the boards monthly surveys and polls they will be conducting. Additionally, the advisory board can be used as a custom focus group to test a concept or gain product insights through tailored surveys made specifically for a client.

“It will really be this proprietary group of advisors that can help us answer the needs of this group of consumers that bank in a different way than other generations.  We will help our clients know how to target them, how to speak to them, how to offer them products that they want, how to engage with them in a way that may not be through those traditional ways,” Bartlett Piland said.

According to Barlett Piland, Banktastic is designed to help their clients build a relevant and meaningful brand from the inside out.  

“A brand is more than just your slogan, it really starts on the inside.  We look inside first, if all of your people share and embrace the culture and the mission, and they know how they can have it for themselves, then when customers come in, everything is seamless, genuine and real,“ Bartlett Piland said,  “We are not only trying to think about how to reach them as customers, but also how do they reach them as employees.  It is really important to have good employees that share their purpose and understand their business.  We want to help client’s attract that really great work force that they need.”

Banktastic’s clients will also be able to gain insight through blogs and articles.

“It’s great to share our expertise and help people out with their current problems.  They read those articles and say Oh! i get this! or this is my pain point, or this is a challenge I have, and those articles help give them some new ideas on how they can solve that,” Bartlett Piland said.