The Long View Deutsche Banks clients feature in its campaign films Making a positive impact Deutsche Bank took its testimonial campaign into external settings Deutsche Banks Positive Impact campaign was created to forge a new brand purpose for todays world. Lareena Hilton, the banks global head of group brand communications and corporate social responsibility, explains why, and how, it has been achieved interview: Martin Bewick Why did you need to change Deutsche Banks brand strategy and positioning? Investing in your brand is something you have to do continuously, in good times and in bad, regardless of any situation in which the company finds itself. And you need to do this to be able to compete, develop, innovate and adapt. We recognised that our existing brand strategy, which had been in place for more than a decade, was looking a little out of date. It had been relevant when it was developed, but the financial services industry had changed a lot in that time especially considering the financial crisis and its consequences and it was time to move forward. We also measured brand perception. We could see how it had been affected by the industrywide crisis, and knew we needed to develop a brand strategy relevant for todays world. We also needed a brand strategy and positioning for the organisation that resonates with our employees as well as our many external stakeholders. It needed to feel true to who we are, and to signal the change we wanted to make from a brand communications perspective. That was the starting point for our Positive Impact campaign. Comment: Jacob Howard, vice president of GTB marketing, Deutsche Bank, and vice chair of the CIM financial services SIG What is different about the campaign? Positive Impact is a testimonial campaign. We wanted to connect with peoples stories, looking at what they do on a daily basis in order to demonstrate our role in society. In many ways its something of a back-to-basics programme. We spoke to our clients about it. Whether they were clients of our investment banking, retail banking or wealth management businesses, they wanted to be part of it. They were happy to support us in articulating how the bank has helped enable their plans and ambitions, and how this in turn can have a positive impact on society. But what these stories also do is create a dialogue internally. Its not about saying were the best, its about being honest and relevant, and adding value through that. We didnt want to create a campaign that felt inauthentic. We wanted to demonstrate, across the organisation which is large and covers many regions and businesses that our people, whatever roles they are in, are proud to turn up and deliver a positive impact for our clients, for the bank, and each other. Why was it important to engage employees first? More than an advertising campaign, Positive Impact was designed as a programme that would allow us to reflect on and develop our culture, to give focus and motivation, in the quest to rebuild commitment and pride in what we do. It has been in development for three or so years and was launched internally in May 2017, but only externally this summer. We began with a standard pitch environment involving different types of agencies German, international, brand focused and full service. Then, when we got to a position where we felt a number of these were really strong, we went through an internal buy-in process, initially with board members, then senior management and then began to discuss it in depth with employees. In practical terms, how did you get employee buy-in? Lareena Hilton says the Positive Impact strategy has become part of the banks values We developed an internal campaign first, and started by creating an internal social media site a Positive Impact hub that worked rather like a Facebook page. To populate this, we asked a select group of 300 employees to tell us their stories, whether they were big, small, innovative, everyday, personal or business-focused, and whether they were about helping the bank directly or aiding clients. We uploaded all these posts on the hub, ready for the roll-out. For the launch, our CEO emailed a film to all employees, urging them to visit the hub and add their own stories to it. We had no idea what the response would be, but people began to engage immediately, and it was very positive. The approach was top down, too, with senior management very much behind it and contributing, and this created a groundswell in which other employees also wanted to participate. Within the first six months of the internal campaign, 75,000 employees out of more than 90,000 had been to the hub and engaged liking, sharing, and uploading messages themselves. It created a huge buzz across the organisation. Suddenly, employees from many businesses and regions could see everyone engaging on the subject of positive impact and their own place in it. The internal campaign is still continuing. Earlier thisyear, for example, our Australia office launched its Agile August month, where employees could work from home, or benefit from flexi-time. It allowed us in the UK to hear their stories about what they had achieved with different working patterns. Weve also seen employee engagement linked to global events such as International Womens Day and Pride people are using the hub independently to show what theyre doing and how theyre supporting others. Its created an internal community that has taken on a life of its own. The external campaign now feeds into it and starts new conversations by letting people know about the varied work with which the organisation is involved. What was the key in getting external stakeholders behind the campaign? We started by rallying people behind a common goal. Internally after such a period of change in the industry this had been about taking a step back and asking them why they come to work every day and where they are delivering value. We felt that this could also be reflected externally. We created a statement of purpose that was relevant to all about how we come to work to enable economic growth and societal progress, and how we aim to create a positive impact in all kinds of ways. From there, it was really about locating the proof points and demonstrating that we were doing it. The client stories weve used in the campaign range from large corporations that have been with the bank for more than 100 years, to private retail clients who were happy for us to film them with their families. For us, its an honour to hear their stories in this way, and its a strength of the campaign that it feels different and fresh, but also human and real. Where has Positive Impact made its mark so far? Internally, we measure brand perception on a quarterly basis, and we know it has already had an impact on pride and a sense of purpose. It connects what our employees do on a daily basis with the banks mission and motivation, helping people see how they play a part in the bigger picture. For example, weve worked closely with HR, employee-working groups, and strategy to make it become part of our values, behaviours and culture, and, in that way, it is becoming integral to what the bank stands for. Our employer brand team, for example, is aligning its strategy and creative thinking with the Positive Impact strategy. Were still in the early stages of a multi-year external campaign, however. We have a targeted plan, and are working hard to ensure were reaching the right people, but it will be another year before we really start to see what impact it has had. Showing people what employees do each day for their clients is important to help regain trust and create a fresh perspective on the organisation. Ive been at Deutsche Bank for 20 years, and weve never had a programme that has included employees in such an integral way. But we are a people business, and we should be talking about the impact our people make. I think, in the long term, this will offer a real point of difference in the way we talk about what we do, and in the way the bank is perceived by those within the organisation, and outside. cim.co.uk/exchange