CorpComms Magazine

There are a handful of worldwide brands that are instantly recognised by an image, whether it be the Golden Arches of McDonald's or the swoosh of Nike, but now Germany's leading bank Deutsche plans to enter this elite group.

As one of the few major European banks that did not seek government assistance during the recent economic storm, Deutsche strengthened its credentials as a strong international financial institution and moved up into the top ranks of global investment banks.

To take advantage of its new market positioning, Deutsche Bank embarked on a rebranding exercise in February to 'demonstrate that it has the confidence to be part of a very select set of global superbrands'.

The rebranding was overseen by Christofer Habig, Deutsche Bank's global head of brand communications and corporate citizenship, working with its London-based global head of corporate design Lareena Hilton and David Shalam, creative director and owner of Middlesex-based Studio 2br.

A new brand personality

Both the bank's brand and visual identity have been realigned to match a newly defined brand personality highlighting the characteristics that Deutsche believes defined its performance during the financial crisis. These characteristics are passionate, precise, confidence and agile minded, which the bank also believes reflect its German origins from 1870, arguing that, because of its heritage, 'a desire for accuracy runs through our organisation'.

A confident approach

The bank will 'present itself as a 'responsive' leadership brand in business and beyond. A truly global player with a confident and premium approach to brand management - to meet the needs of today's media coverage where clear iconic self-explaining symbols are needed'.

Its visual identity, which was relaunched in 2005 with a 3D logo brand campaign, has been stripped of the words 'Deutsche Bank' leaving the forward slash within its square. (This logo was introduced in 1974; prior to this date, Deutsche had used various logos, typefaces and symbols, such as griffins.)

The shade of blue is deeper, although a choice of alternative premium colours are available for other branding projects, and the bank's claim 'Passion to Perform' will also change in format.

Going forward, it will appear in a handwritten format beneath key stakeholder messages 'to demonstrate the personal commitment and passion that it promises'.

Performance is key

The bank explains: 'Our claim has always been much more than a marketing slogan or advertising strapline. It defines our attitude and will continue to do so. It carries an inclusive proposition: performance represents all that we do for our clients, not just bottom-line results. Visually, we say it with more conviction, with more passion, in a handwritten style.'

Deutsche is promoting the new branding with a television advertisement, which, against a backdrop of images such as a dragon, cupid, a magnifying glass and man walking on the moon, asks: 'Since the beginning of time, people have used symbols and images to describe the things they value most, like trust, curiosity, passion, precision, success and of course responsibility. Can a symbol stand for all these things? It depends on the symbol. Deutsche Bank. Passion to Perform.'

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