Category Archives: Banking

Banks Cut Marketing Spending in Absence of Revenue Growth

EMI analyzed bank marketing data of 25 leading U.S. banks and found a 4% y/y decline in marketing expenditure for the first nine months of 2013.  During this period, marketing spending accounted for 2.6% of net revenues.

Our analysis finds that marketing expenditure levels and changes vary significantly by bank type .

  • Monolines: These banks are characterized as having a strong dependence on their credit card operations.  The three banks in this segment—American Express, Discover Financial and Capital One—allocated 7.8% of their revenues to marketing in the first 9 months of 2013.  Capital One’s spend levels are relatively lower, as it has transitioned over the past decade to be more like a full-service bank, with a network of 900+ branches.  The ‘monoline’ segment is also bucking the overall trend, with a 4% y/y rise in marketing spend.

  • National banks: These megabanks invest about 2% of revenues in marketing to promote their brands, support their extensive physical and virtual channels, and advertise their wide array of financial products and services.  As these banks (which include JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Bank of America) are under pressure to maintain profitability in a low/no growth environment, they reduced marketing spend 8% y/y.  Wells Fargo stands out, insofar as its marketing spend as a percentage of revenues is much lower than its peers, as it has traditionally focused its revenue-generating activities on its branch network.  However, Wells Fargo was the only one of these four national banks to report y/y marketing growth for the first three quarters of 2013.

  • Regional banks: The 18 regional banks analyzed by EMI allocated 1.6% of their revenues to marketing over the first 9 months of 2013.  Under pressure to cut costs and maintain profitability in the absence of revenue growth, these regional banks cut marketing budgets by 13%, led by large regionals like KeyBank (-31%) and SunTrust (-29%).

The extent to which banks ramp their marketing spend will be based on whether they see significant revenue growth opportunities, which in turn is dependent on economic growth.  And there are some positive signs in this regard, with the OECD projecting that U.S. GDP growth will rise from 1.7% in 2013 to 2.9% in 2014 and 3.4% in 2015.

Five Branch Channel Trends

At the recent Barclays Global Financial Services conference, presentations by leading U.S. banks highlighted the extent to which they are adapting their branch networks, based on the need to reduce costs, leverage new technologies, and reflect changing customer behavior.  The following are five branch channel trends that emerged from the conference:

  1. Reduction in branch numbers.  Many of the larger banks are closing unprofitable branches.  Bank of America and SunTrust both reported 7% falls in their branch numbers over the past two years.  BB&T cut its branch network by 3%.  According to FDIC data, there was a net decline of 839 branches in the year to June 30, 2013.
  2. Emergence of new branch models.  Banks are no longer following a one-size-fits-all model for branches, and instead are deploying different types of metrics based on a range of factors, such as market characteristics, branch density and competitive strength. First Horizon is piloting a concierge branch model in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville, featuring no teller rows and staffed by universal bankers.  The Fifth Third micro-branch format, which it expects to pilot in the coming months, has 2-3 staff in self-service, non-cash-handling branches.
  3. Flagship branches and lower density. PNC presented its new hub-and-spoke branch model, which features an all-purpose universal branch surrounded by cashless branches, ATMs and electronic channels.  This comes as PNC plans to close 200 branches in 2013.  Other banks that have recently opened flagship stores include Bank of America, Citibank and Umpqua Bank.
  4. Overhaul of branch staffing and training. As branches process fewer everyday transactions, and the role of the branch shifts towards sales and customer relationship management, banks are reducing teller numbers while deploying additional specialists in branches.  In the first 6 months of 2013, PNC reduced its teller headcount by 6%, while growing investment professionals by 17%.  Bank of America claimed that its specialist headcount has grown to 6,800, with half of these based in branches.  In addition, banks are training and supporting staff to enhance their selling capabilities.  SunTrust reported that investing in training and technology for front-line retail staff resulted in a 30% rise in sales productivity (sales per FTE per day).
  5. Branch as beachhead. City National discussed the establishment of a branch in New York City, far from its Californian retail banking footprint. This branch is designed to support the bank’s targeting of the entertainment industry.  And other banks have established beachhead branches outside of their retail banking footprint, both to build brand awareness as well as support the banks’ commercial banking and capital markets activities, which tend to have nationwide reach.  This week, BB&T announced that it is establishing a presence in Chicago.  Earlier this year, BBVA Compass announced the opening of loan-production offices (focusing on commercial banking and wealth management) in New York and Washington, D.C.  And in October 2012, BMO Harris opened a corporate banking office in Atlanta.

EMI expects there will additional changes to branch deployment, design and staffing to its role fundamentally shifts away from everyday transaction processing, and more towards selling, providing advice, as well as branding.

5 Branch Reinventions that Can Turn Bricks and Mortar into Gold

Iconoclasts are forecasting the end of the retail bank branch. Simple and Moven have gone so far as to delete the word “bank” from their names, and make the rounds at industry events heralding the brave new branch-free landscape.
But US consumers and small businesses are channel omnivores. Give them mobile, online, ATM, phone and branch—all will be used by some, and some will be used by all. The cost of channel choice is great, and retail margins are on a diet, so reinvention is an economic necessity. Channel R&D is accelerating as banks large and small find the unique branch blueprint.
Look at these strategic innovators:

  1. Forget the movies, head to the branch. Small but mighty Umpqua Bank, with 200 “neighborhood stores” in the Pacific Northwest, is starting a “slow banking” revolution. Giant plasma touchscreens are used as “Discover Walls” to showcase neighborhood events, local merchants and podcasts. Wii bowling nights and Food Truck Tuesdays are big draws. Umpqua’s strategies add up to fast growth in key demographics: young, upscale families and small businesses.
  2. No longer solo, the branch is now the fulcrum of an omnichannel world. TD Bank lives their tagline—“America’s Most Convenient Bank”—legacy of the 2008 Commerce acquisition. TD’s 7-day, evening hours branch access has long been a differentiator. Now, omnichannel integration is sophisticated. Local branch manager videos and banner ads are served up in real-time by recognizing customer IP addresses. No surprise TD’s 2013 ad campaign abandons Regis and Kelly for “Bank human, again” featuring their branches as the headline act.
  3. Tellers are out, specialists are in. Chase, with 5600 branches, has got the yin and yang of their branch future figured out. Service costs are being squeezed through self-service kiosks: ATMs on steroids that can handle 90% of all teller transactions. At the same time, Chase is ramping sales horsepower with a six-fold increase in Private Bank branch presence , delivering 5x growth in the number of Private Bank clients since 2010. Other Sales Specialists in branch have grown 20%. And Chase’s net branch count is increasing, with new builds that are smaller and specialist-rich.
  4. Going virtual and mobile: PNC is working towards a vision of less physical density and more multi-channel options, reducing their branch count from today’s 2850 selectively. Going well beyond the now-familiar mobile deposit and digital/social contact center options, PNC is rapidly expanding mobile stores, street teams, community brand ambassadors and segment-specific “thin branches” that match the needs of their micromarket.  Watch for the famous “PNC Conversation” to get even smarter and better.
  5. Cut the ad budget and buy or build branches: Since 2008, M&T has doubled in size to 725+ branches, but its footprint radius has grown a mere 27 miles. Branch density is a strategy M&T uses effectively to build brand awareness and bank profitability, and acknowledges it enables a lower advertising budget. M&T’s invested in activating branches through clever and comprehensive management of their Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills partnerships, ranging from in-branch promotions with players and shared community service programs to management of the franchise like a mega-branch, complete with sales goals. Banking Built for Baltimore demonstrates M&T’s smart leverage of branch penetration and sponsorship potential.

The answer to branch strategy isn’t as simple as develop or dismantle, reinforce or reduce. Like most strategy and marketing wins, it’s about defining a course that magnifies strengths, mitigates disadvantage and sets a course that fits your franchise, and your future.