Building a Brand

When Star Bank of Bertha, Minn., decided to build a branch in a new market, it wanted an office designed to win new customers. The result was a building that emphasizes Star Bank's relationship-focused brand. .The branch, located in Eden Prairie, Minn., is one of a kind among Star Bank's branches. Its unique design matches the bank's effort to diversify its portfolio of services. Until 2010, when construction on the branch was completed, Star Bank focused on rural communities and on its agricultural services. In its eight branches throughout central Minnesota, it had mostly retrofitted existing structures. Even at its Barrett and Elbow Lake branches, where the bank built entirely new buildings, the branches have a traditional look, typical of rural areas..Star Bank's new strategy revolves around building close ties with its businesses customers. "The approach was to develop a focus on meeting and sitting down with people, to have those longer conversations about their business and where they are going," said Jeff Williamson, vice president of the $149 million dollar bank. This focus on relationships can be seen in the bank's lobby, which sports a grandfather clock, inviting fireplace, and deep seated leather chairs — the homey living room customers wish they had. This space is an excellent place to sit and deepen a relationship with a customer. Even during the busy times of the day, customers get comfortable and don't mind waiting to be helped, Williamson said. .The branch is designed around sitting. All of the branch's teller stations are sit-down. This arrangement encourages more interaction between the customer and the teller. The sit-down format moves the focus of the interaction off of the technical aspects of the transaction. The sit-down stations also symbolize the bank's slogan — "The bank that cares" — because they show that the bank is conscious of its customer demographic. Star Bank is trying to attract depositors from the older, wealthier population of Eden Prairie. The teller stations were chosen because they offer older legs a rest while the teller works..Building a Brand."We don't pretend to be able to go into these banks and rubber stamp a design on them, because if it doesn't come from their culture it won't last," said Mike Kraft, partner of Minneapolis-based HTG Architects, the firm that helped Star Bank design its Eden Prairie branch. "The best idea is to get a conversation going and develop a model that is unique to that culture." Kraft added that the best way to bring a bank's culture into its design is to spend a day with the bank's executive staff. When they share their thoughts with one another, it results in lots of innovative ideas.."In the past the idea has been that a bank is a bank," said Marty Steinert, partner at the Redmond Company, a design firm in Waukesha, Wis. Now, a bank's focus is to differentiate itself in the financial industry, added Steinert. "The magic really happens when we understand who the bank is serving, its demographics and its business model. That's how you differentiate and really get a dynamic that is unique to the bank.".Creating Distinctions.Bank Midwest, with offices in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota, wanted a design that would bring life to its motto: "Great Experience — One Place." The bank's goal was to enhance this "great experience" brand by creating a unique design for its retail environment. "For Bank Midwest all the features we used matched their culture," Steinert said. "They wanted a retail environment in which their customers would be greeted upon entering the bank just like they would at a retail store, so there is an immediate connection between them and the customer.".At the $679 million bank's new branch in Jackson, Minn., Bank Midwest has incorporated its brand into the floor plan of the building. The branch has a large free flowing, circular retail space, which gives the customer freedom to easily peruse all of the bank's products and services. Bank Midwest wanted to provide visibility for its three business lines – retail banking, insurance and investments. The design of the space showcases all the bank has to offer in one cohesive experience. The services are placed strategically in a central rotunda, which create sightlines conducive to cross-selling services..Platinum Bank declares "we are unique" with its branch design said David Rom, president of the $134 million bank in Oakdale, Minn. As a commercial bank, Platinum believes that every customer has unique needs. "We know the customer is looking for a one-on-one relationship rather than transactions. We purposefully don't have any marketing materials around or hanging from the ceiling. Our model is business banking," Rom said..The bank shows a flair for unique solutions in its approach to the simple question of how to use a television set in a branch. "Everyone has the 42-inch TV," said Kraft of HTG Architects, the company that assisted Platinum. "You can either have a 60-inch TV and play the size game, or you can do a different concept," Kraft said. Platinum chose to bring in four smaller TVs to create a "Wall Street feel" with lots of activity..Platinum's offices also are designed around its "one-on-one" focus. "Hospitality is one of our key value drivers," Rom said. Bankers do not meet with customers in their offices. When a customer enters the bank they are immediately met by one of the bank's concierge bankers. These bankers escort the client to one of three conference rooms and seat them like a host does at a restaurant. They bring the customer beverages and then the banker approaches to meet with them. "This gets rid of the Mr. Potter feel, sitting in a little chair in front of a deep desk… the role is reversed from the customer's point of view," Kraft said. .Each conference room is designed for the unique tastes and needs of the customer. For instance, the first conference room at Platinum Bank has classic, professional decorations. The second conference room is for more intimate meetings and is for customers who would prefer a chalkboard to a projector screen. The third is larger and more technology-focused, being equipped with a projector, surround sound and other features. "If the customer prefers a laptop we can go and have all the bells and whistles," Rom said..A Community Connection."Photography is one of the tools that results from the branding process," Steinert commented. "Once a bank has established who they are, then photography is a wonderful way to communicate their brand." This is true whether the photos contain farming and agriculture scenes, or the different life cycles of an individual such as graduating from college, getting married or starting a family, Steinert added. Banks can choose to use either preselected branded graphics or artistic photography of the community. An agricultural bank, for instance, could choose to employ the same pictures of farming in every branch, or they could hire a photographer to take unique farm photos. "Either way it is a great way to make that connection," Steinert said.."We hope to get pictures from local photographers to show off the community," said Greg Johnson, president of the $106 million First State Bank of Sumner, Iowa, which is in the process of constructing a new facility. A key focal point for the customer in the new building will be "The Walk of Sumner." Kirk Gross Company of Waterloo, Iowa helped the bank design the overhead photo display, which customers will be able to view as they approach the teller line through the bank lobby. The photos feature the latest events in the community. The most innovative part of the display is that the bank can update the photos with each new event so the artwork follows the life of the community..First State Bank of Sumner began work on its new building in late 2011, six blocks down the street from its current location in downtown. "When they came to the decision to build they had collected feedback on accessibility, ease and access [to their new facility]," said Ben Buckley, president of Kirk Gross Company. "The design was focused on the community because they wanted to make it an integral part of the community.".Star Bank in Eden Prairie also is using photography to establish its community as a part of its identity; furthermore, the bank is using deep brown wood cabinets and stone colored floor tiles that connect the bank to classic Minnesota taste in color and interior design. The surroundings complement a gallery of quality photos that have been printed on large, sometimes wall-size, canvas frames. The photos feature nature scenes from northern Minnesota and Eden Prairie, which both add to the aesthetic of the bank and connect the bank to the area..Star Bank also has dedicated a space to the Eden Prairie community. On the walk leading to the branch's community room, which accommodates 72 people, is a wall-size map of the city and photos of some of the city's oldest buildings. The gallery has a section where anyone can compare the old black and white photos of the buildings to the way they appear today. "You'd be surprised how many people in this area spend time looking at the map trying to find where they live," Williamson said. "[The community room and photo gallery] allow you to give people six or seven favorable impressions of your brand, so that your brand is now something they look at and say 'that's a classy place,'" he said. Williamson sees real opportunity for new customer relationships arising from this space. "It's because you're giving something before you're asking for something," he said..Bank Midwest also chose to use photos to make a connection to its customers. Overhead and circling the teller area of the bank's rotunda is a mural that features photos of the bank's farm customers working in their fields. "They wanted that connection to be made in the lobby, which is why they have photos of the surrounding farming community," Steinert said.