Union Bank’s new brand wins two international awards

Unveils three upgraded branches in Delta
Union Bank’s new brand identity which was unveiled in October 2015 has won two Gold awards at the Transform Awards MENA 2016, which held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Dubai on Thursday, May 18, 2016.

The Bank won the award for ‘Best Brand Development To Reflect Changed Mission / Vision / Positioning’ beating Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Bank Al Bilad, Bahrain Finance Company, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Industry Gulf Finance and VOX. It also, won the ‘Best Visual Identity From The Financial Services Sector’ edging out Bank ABC, ADCB, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Industry Gulf Finance and MAF Finance.

Organisers of the award, Transform Magazine, a leading authority in global rebranding and brand development, in a statement announcing the winners, the magazine stated that the winners of the Transform Awards MENA 2016 set the standard for rebranding and brand development on both a regional and international scale.

Reacting to the awards, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Emeka Emuwa said, “Our award winning identity reflects our new proposition to make banking simpler and smarter for our customers.

Meanwhile, the bank has unveiled three of its newly upgraded branches in Delta State.

The branches are located at Sapele Road, Effurun; Sapele/Patani Road, Ughelli; and Otite Junction, by Ajogodo Road, Sapele, Delta State.

“We are here to formerly unveil our newly upgraded branches. What we are doing is in line with our transformation journey that started a few years ago. We want to let our customers know we have setup innovative platforms, products and services so they can bank at ease,” he said.

The new innovations, according to him, came as a response to customers’ feedback and the bank’s commitment to serve its customers better.

The bank’s Transformation Director, Joe Mbulu, called on customers to partner with the bank in utilising the innovative platforms, saying that customers can now do banking transactions from the comfort of their homes using the UnionMobile and UnionOnline applications with mobile devices and computers.

He said: “There is a difference between what you see today and what was here before. We present a simpler, smarter bank. Beside the ambience being more comfortable for our customers, it also demonstrates the fact that we’ve invested in technology.”

Customers can come in and go out in a short time; get attended to with more improved services”.

Also speaking, a monarch, HRM Ovie R.L Ogbon, Ogoni-Oghoro 1 and Owhorode of Olomu Kingdom, commended the bank for being so reliable even in stormy and turbulent times and bringing so much innovation that was missing before.

Following the brand launch, Union Bank has introduced two innovative savings products – UnionKorrect and UnionGoal to the Nigerian market.”

He adds, “We have rolled out the new identity in 80 branches across the country, ensuring that our customers are able to bank in a modern and professional environment. We continue to launch new branches every quarter. Our technology and banking platform upgrades along with the transformation of our processes have reduced our transaction processing times by over 20 percent. The impact of these changes are being felt by our customers and reflected in reputable independent surveys which show a marked improvement in Union Bank’s industry rankings on customer service.

“We are also attracting new customers to the bank and growing our overall customer base which boosted our deposit book by 12 percent in 2015. Given the positive feedback we have received on the new identity, locally and now internationally, Union Bank will continue to push forward to ensure that our products and services continue to reflect our brand proposition,” Emuwa concluded.

Head Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communication, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, who managed the rebranding exercise for the bank said, “To be recognised at the Transform Awards and competing against premier brands across Middle East and Africa is truly a fantastic validation of the hard work that went into the development and execution of our new identity.”

He adds, “Our brand identity is a critical piece of the Union Bank’s overall transformation, and our goal was to depict a more contemporary and energetic institution while maintaining our authenticity and key elements of the brand heritage. We are extremely pleased to share this success with our agency, Landor, who led the creative effort and worked with us in great collaboration and partnership throughout the entire process.”

Established in 1917 and listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1971, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. is a household name and one of Nigeria’s long-standing and respected financial institutions. The bank is a trusted and recognisable brand, with an extensive network of over 300 branches across Nigeria.