Milan, 29 June 2020 – In Milan today, Banca Ifis presented its new corporate identity, new brand and first sound brand in the history of the Bank, with the presence of Vice President Ernesto Fürstenberg Fassio and CEO Luciano Colombini.
Thirty-seven years after its foundation, the Bank is changing its image with renewed identity. It is doing so by being the first in the Italian banking sector to obtain a sonic brand identity validated by neuroscientific tests. The sound brand, with a single catchy and recognisable harmony, will further strengthen the brand and accompany the image of Banca Ifis, the Italian specialty finance bank that has always combined past and future: a long family history with strong and innovative genes. A digital, sustainable and authentic bank.
The presentation press conference was streamed as part of a complete “on air” day-event which, with the technical support of the Radio Deejay team, remotely involved all the Group’s 1,800 employees, 90% of whom are still working from home.
“This is a special day for all the Bank. We have kept going despite the Covid-19 emergency and today’s event is testament to this – said the Vice President Ernesto Fürstenberg Fassio -. Rebranding is a major project we have been working on for some months and represents another stage in our long journey and an occasion to show the world what we are. We want to strengthen the positioning of the Bank also in terms of brand strategy, take our colours worldwide, keep up with the times and express the modern nature of the institution, also through the digital and contemporary brand. The new image of Banca Ifis has evolved from a long family history, but also from a propensity for innovation. The new brand, in fact, is much more than a logo: it expresses what we are in a clear and prominent manner, the way we work, and how we talk to each other, with employees and with our customers and suppliers. It communicates the Bank’s values internally and externally and will be consistent in every respect».
«For the Bank to grow, it needs to have a strong, recognisable and innovative brand. And Banca Ifis is being rebranded with precisely this objective in mind. We want to strengthen our role in the present and in the future starting from what we are, in both professional and human terms – said the CEO Luciano Colombini – This new corporate identity will help to boost business, reinforcing the image of Banca IFIS as a nationally recognised operator in the banking sector that can also play a part in development of the local community. In this way Banca Ifis will be able to increase its reputation, retaining existing customers and attracting new ones».
Banca Ifis confirms its commitment as a Bank of the real economy and desire to consolidate its market positions. The choice of graphics brings the character and expression of the brand in line with the new business objectives. The result of this metamorphosis, an evolution that confirms the solid positioning of the Bank’s “core” business, is a bolder brand and a streamlined brand architecture. The new geometric font of the name “Banca Ifis” is combined with the digital bloom, designed to welcome the future without forsaking tradition. The flower is formed of a circular graphical element representing the beating heart of the bank – the people – while the modular language conveys the various business units generated from a single matrix. The new colours of the brand are inspired in part by digital transformation and the colours of nature, with a progressive selection of scale tones that generate movement, depth and transparency.
For the first time in its history, Banca IFIS has chosen to combine its own brand with a distinctive “sonic brand identity”, a real harmonic composition capable of creating lasting and emotionally profound mnemonic associations. The symbolic themes are transformation and innovation, represented by an ascending glissando on the C major scale. Thanks to its naturalness, from today everyone will be able to reproduce the stylish sound of Banca Ifis which will be played in different “fields”: from radio adverts to videos and institutional presentations, from the ringtone of employees’ cell phones to the telephone switchboard on-hold music, thereby creating a single voice, a single melody and a single and unique way of being a Bank.
For the new communication campaign, a visionary artistic language was chosen. From today, the campaign will be “on air” in the main national and local newspapers, on social media and on hundreds of websites, mobile apps and TV, with programming in prime position and prime time. Radio adverts will be on the airwaves from September to the end of the year. The choice of iconography, on which the creativity is based, imagines all those situations in which the meeting between an entrepreneur and Banca Ifis can result in growth: arid deserts making way for colourful meadows, the storm clearing for the sky to be lit up by a firework display, and bridges, both real and figurative, bringing together people and ideas. An attitude conveyed in the new payoff: “The value of growing together”.
To strengthen the Group’s digital presence, a new online portal has been created which represents the only access point to the Bank’s digital ecosystem: www.bancaifis.it. The portal is joined by six other specialised sites on vertical issues: ifisnpl.it; credifarma.it; ifis real estate; nplmeeting.it; bancaifis.ro; ifis.pl. The new solution simplifies the previous web architecture, ensuring a perfect browsing experience for the user.
The new growth strategy has also led the Bank to redefine its Mission, Vision and Values. The Mission: to duly support businesses and people with services and products of excellence. The Vision: to be the main operator of reference and a source of inspiration for anyone who wants to create, grow and compete in the world of business. Integrity, transparency, excellence and expertise are the key values and principles.
Credits:
Logo – Luther Dsgn
Brand architecture and brand strategy – created by Inarea Identity and Design Network.
Sonic brand identity – Fluendo Agency in collaboration with Concerto Music, Audiobranding Italy, the spin-off of the Sapienza University of Rome (Brain Signs), three music production studios, scientists, psychologists, sound designers, over 50 musicians and the composer Enrico Giaretta.
Concept and communication campaign – Independent Ideas