SunTrust begs to know “How Can WE Help You?” And then promptly tells us that one way they can help us is if we use our credit card more… “Use your card more, you get a chance to win miles every time you use it.”
In a textbook example of branding yourself as a commodity, SunTrust wants us to bank with them because we “get what you need when you need it." They also claim we need to use services like the telephone, online banking services, and more ATMs. This qualifies as more of what we need when we need it.
If you did not look at the non-existent SunTrust brand, but looked only at the switching triggers, you can see that SunTrust thinks they are positioned to steal market share from those competitors who do not have phone lines, online banking or ATM machines. I guess they are positioned to talk to people iving in 1975. (Oh wait, we had telephones in 1975… never mind).
SunTrust is a perfect example of a business that spent cash and resources on a corporate identity (like a new logo, name and mark) and thought that they were developing a new brand. They confused brand with a new logo, mark and name. The problem is that brand is a reflection of the customer you hope to influence and, while corporate identity is part of it, it is only one part of it.
Stealing Share is a brand development firm that arms its clients with the tools they need to drive competitive advantages. We conduct research and provide corporate strategy, positioning, training and brand design with one goal in mind: To steal market share for our clients.
Our experts are all about the science of persuasion, and have proven it with brands and companies all across the world. We uncover the fears and belief systems of your target audiences so your brand can align itself with them and create preference. It’s how we steal market share.
SunTrust "Grapes"
SunTrust "Dog"
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