How important is brand culture to the holistic customer experience?

Have you ever wondered why some digital banks just feel different, in a good way? That's the power of brand culture. It’s a foundational differentiator in digital banking, shaping how we see and use our banking apps and websites.

In the last decade, we’ve been discussing great customer experiences and that customer experience goes way beyond just a slick user interface. Still, we rarely give the ‘brand culture’ as a concept the place it deserves.

What is brand culture?

In essence, it is similar to a company culture but then focused towards the outside of the company. It refers to the set of values, beliefs, and, most importantly - behaviours that embody a brand and shape its interactions and relationships with its customers. 

Brand culture in digital banking isn't just about products and online features; it's about the vibe you get from them. It's about the entire experience associated with the brand, including its identity, communication style, customer service approach, and overall reputation. It's what makes a bank stand out. Banks that nail their brand culture communicate their values, like security or being super customer-friendly, in every click and swipe, in every error message they show, or a notification they send.

Building Trust and Keeping You Hooked

Trust is mega important in banking, right? Well, brand culture is all about building that trust, especially online. A strong culture that values security and transparency can make us feel way safer. Plus, when banks really get us and offer personalised services, we’re more likely to stick around. Research on branding, culture, and globalization in the digital age, covered in 129 articles over 25 years, backs this up big time.

Making Banking Fun and Satisfying

Banks with a cool brand culture turn boring transactions into something we actually enjoy. Studies like the one on brand engagement into self-concept (BESC), show how a bank’s culture can make its digital tools more engaging and fun, influencing how we see ourselves and our lifestyle choices.

Consider the two examples above. At first glance, there is nothing suspicious. Both notifications notify the user of a transaction on their account. However, culture is all about details. 

• The second notification (Bank B) is overloaded with redundant information that doesn’t provide any additional meaning in this context but reduces readability. Moreover, the user's language is set to English, but notifications are delivered in Portuguese. 
• It creates an unconscious anxiety by using ‘Alert’ as a title instead of showing the name of the merchant as in the first example (Bank A), which would be both meaningful and doesn’t signal any abnormality, as there isn’t any. 

Although this is just a small example, the same vibe is present across the entire engagement with the second bank, and on the contrary - the bank in the first example is consistently practical, empathetic and friendly in their communication style vibe, both in the user interface and verbally when communicating over the chat. This is what I call the Brand Culture.

Changing How We See Our Bank

Our bank’s culture can influence what we think and do. For instance, a bank that’s all about being green can attract folks who care about the planet. Another study on ResearchGate talks about this two-way street between culture and brands – each shapes the other.

Conclusion

So, wrapping it up, brand culture in digital banking is more than a fancy term. It’s what makes our banking experience unique and keeps us coming back for more. Banks that get their culture right don’t just stand out; they build relationships that last. As digital banking evolves, those who focus on their brand culture are the ones who’ll lead the pack. Keep an eye on your bank's culture – it's more influential than you might think!

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