- What is the difference between awareness building and marketing in a public institution compared to the private sector? Is it necessary to build branding in a public institution? Especially in an institution like yours? How about abroad?
In today’s world, building awareness and a positive reputation is essential for any organisation, whether public or private. Although their ultimate goal is the same, the approaches differ.
Commercial entities focus on brand growth, sales and customer loyalty, using performance marketing and precision targeting. Public institutions, on the other hand, serve the public interest, so their communications tend to be more oriented towards outreach, education and community service. As they do not work with competitors as such, they seek to build a benchmark against similar institutions at home or abroad.
Export credit agencies (ECAs), such as Eximbanka, are specific in that they support domestic exporters and therefore focus their marketing and communication mainly on presenting export opportunities, educating about risks and supporting financing for companies. Like our foreign partners, we at Eximbanka use the available marketing and communication tools with respect to our local conditions.
- You have also recently undergone a rebranding. What did you change, which aspects of the institution did you focus on and with what intention did you go into this change?
Eximbanka has its irreplaceable place as the only state instrument for export support, but it has been undergoing certain developments in its 27-year history on the Slovak market. We try to reflect these changes in strategic areas, including the visual presentation of Eximbanka. We have gradually modernised and adapted the concept of visual identity to reflect Eximbanka’s primary role. We have implemented this change across all our media, from business cards to the redesign of the website, while trying to preserve the supporting elements and traditional values on which the institution is built.
- How do you assess the success of this step? Have you had any feedback?
Regular analysis of the brand and its visual identity is important not only for retail companies, but also for us at Eximbank. The aim of the rebranding was not to fundamentally change the visuality and overall design of Eximbank, but to simplify the forms and access to information, to strengthen the identity and brand recognition among exporters. Feedback from the market confirms that these changes are going in the right direction.
- What trends in financial services marketing do you consider to be the most important or the most important breakthroughs in the recent period?
In terms of marketing, the trends used in the financial sector are not fundamentally different from others; on the contrary, strong relugation, pressure on utilisation, efficiency and availability of services are also pushing financial institutions into the digital space, the use of artificial intelligence and increasing personalisation to eliminate the need to deal with client requests at branches. Banking as we know it now will change its shape significantly in a few years’ time, but of course this is not just in the financial sector…
In the case of Eximbank, the situation is specific, since we are not a bank (but an export credit agency, we are governed by the Eximbank Act 80/1997 Coll. pos). Each business case is assessed individually and therefore marketing is more oriented towards direct relations with exporters, education and expert advice.
- Is the behaviour of clients in the field of export financing changing in the times of digitalisation, social networks? How are you adapting your marketing to these changes?
For us, communication channels serve as a tool through which we declare our initiatives. As we do not have branches, we focus on the digital space and direct interactions through professional events and foreign missions.
These channels are important not only to build awareness but also to capture the requirements of exporters, trade associations and other partners. Growing demand through electronic platforms shows that digitalisation is changing the way companies approach financing, but they serve us more as an awareness and ‘pre-sales’ channel and the deals themselves are still done in the traditional way. In this context, however, consistency in communication is essential for building credibility.
- Which marketing project or initiative at Eximbank are you most proud of? (may/may not)
There are a number of them, but one of the initiatives we value highly is our flagship Export Club. This concept provides a space for expert discussion with renowned experts and representatives of economic diplomacy, as well as networking and sharing of experiences between exporters and experts. This platform is highly appreciated by entrepreneurs and clients alike.
- What do you enjoy most about your work as Director of Communications and PR?
For me, the biggest motivation is that we can (although it is of course exaggerated) at least partially contribute to the development of Slovak exports. I consider it very important not to succumb to the traditional daily routine (even though our field is very dynamic) and to try to keep a perspective. Every day I try to identify an idea or a solution that breaks out of the standard daily routine and bring it into the context of the institution I work for.