Bankers Trust Company – Des Moines, Iowa
“Local Newspaper Opinion Editorials”
Situation
In a fiercely competitive financial marketplace, Bankers Trust Company (BTC) wanted to position its employees as local personal finance experts and ultimately, drive consumers to the nearest bank branch to seek those employees’ expertise. Bankers Trust retained Hanser & Associates to help the company achieve its goal.
PR Action
Hanser & Associates recommended Bankers Trust utilize local newspapers to deliver the bank’s key messages to Central Iowa residents, through monthly opinion editorials (op-eds) written by local branch managers. The firm then pitched the idea to newspaper editors and established the Bankers Trust manager’s monthly columns as a part of the paper’s regular rotation. An editorial calendar was developed to inform managers of the next column’s focus, as well as ensure that senior management agreed the topics being covered were timely and strategic.
Due to the time constraints faced by busy branch managers, Hanser & Associates acted as “ghost writers,” creating the framework for each column. The firm then interviewed the bank managers to obtain personal anecdotes and financial advice to customize the editorial content.
Result
Each month branch managers’ photos, contact information, and financial-related editorials are published in local papers, enhancing recognition of the branch managers as financial experts as well as familiar members of the community. Branch managers report that new and prospective clients have cited the columns as their reason for seeking financial advice or services from Bankers Trust.