The Story

I’ve found myself giving this example a lot lately in meetings–and there’s a good reason: it’s a simple test that says a lot about how well you’re proving your story through multi-sensory experiences. Try this:
If you were to cover up every single logo and tagline in your branch bank marketing or credit union […]

When something goes wrong in corporate-land, company executives very rarely own up to their mistakes or apologize for their errors. Unless, being human is part of your brand – as it is with JetBlue. The airline has had a tough past week – stemming from the Northeast ice storm over Valentine’s Day that […]

I was recently on a CBC business trip with a colleague to meet a client to discuss, what else, but their branch environment. So not surprising that on the way, we noticed another bank whose construction of a new branch was about 80% complete. Furniture seemed to be the final item on the to-do list.
Even […]

Lately a new misunderstanding out there in bank marketing & credit union marketing land has come to my attention. At CBC, we’re out there telling our clients to ensure they’re creating solid experiences with every touchpoint. We talk about the experience customers have. The experience employees have, and so on. You […]

There’s not enough that can be said about Nike and its meticulous attention to its brand. Moreover, Nike truly understands the importance of experiential branding.
Today’s Oregonian reports that Nike unveiled plans to open 100 new retail stores in the next three years. 100 new stores in three years! More importantly, they will […]

It’s not everyday that a financial institution can learn a lesson from a barber shop. Or at least that’s what bank marketing and credit union marketing professionals will tell you. Well, at least for today, they’re wrong. A small local chain here in Portland, Oregon called Bishops can teach a few good lessons about using […]

I recently conducted some research on one of the larger community banks here in Portland, Oregon, West Coast Bank (www.wcb.com). My intention was to dig in, check them out, and see how well their bank marketing strategies, branches and overall experience tells and proves their story. I began digging around and checking them out, […]

I stumbled across a blog by Luke Wroblewski called Functioning Form all about interface design and the user experience design process. In one of his posts, Luke summarizes a recent presentation by Larry Constantine, author of Software for Use and co-developer of Usage-Centered Design, and one part of his summary really stood out for […]