Financial Services • Brand Lift

For regional banks, winning new customers isn't easy. Consumers and business owners tend to remain loyal to their financial institutions, while national banks and large credit unions dominate awareness. That makes building familiarity and consideration especially challenging for community and regional brands.

To understand how localized media influences those perceptions, Katz partnered with a regional financial institution to conduct custom pre- and post-campaign brand lift research studies among both consumers and small-to-mid-sized business decision-makers across key growth markets on the East Coast. The objective was to measure changes in awareness, advertising recall, brand perceptions, and consideration following a localized advertising campaign.

MEASURING MORE THAN AWARENESS

Before the campaign launched, research among consumers and business decision-makers painted a similar picture. Large national banks owned top-of-mind awareness and consideration, while regional institutions struggled to stand out despite being viewed positively by those who knew them. Respondents generally associated the featured regional bank with trustworthiness, community commitment, and customer service. The brand faced a common challenge: consumers weren't rejecting the bank, they simply weren't thinking about it.

RADIO TURNED REACH INTO RECALL

Following the campaign, both studies showed meaningful improvements in advertising recall, indicating that localized media successfully elevated the brand's visibility. Among consumers, recall of the brand's advertising on AM/FM radio increased from 17% before the campaign to 44% after the campaign - more than doubling radio's visibility. Respondents also recalled seeing or hearing the campaign across multiple channels, demonstrating the power of a coordinated, multi-touch strategy.

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MAKING DEPOSITS IN BRAND EQUITY

The post-campaign research also showed stronger brand equity among respondents familiar with the bank. Respondents increasingly associated the institution with attributes including: 

• Trustworthy, stable, and secure

• Experienced bankers

• Personalized service

• Easy, straightforward banking

• Long-term customer relationships

• Community commitment

Negative perceptions remained minimal, while positive ratings increased across many of the brand attributes measured.

GROWING CONSIDERATION IN A LOW-SWITCH CATEGORY

The research confirmed that most consumers and business owners remain loyal to their existing financial institution, with relatively low intent to switch providers in the near future. However, the campaign succeeded where localized media often delivers its greatest value: increasing familiarity, improving credibility, and earning a place within consumers' consideration set for future banking decisions.

This is where AM/FM radio excels: delivering consistent reach and repeated exposure that builds trust over time, ensuring the brand is top of mind when consumers are finally ready to make a change.