Dubai: Following a spate of heavy criticism of banks in the UAE in recent months, HSBC is rolling out a new media marketing campaign aimed at reaching new customers who frequent airports.
Calling it HSBC's "largest single media investment in the region," the bank is targeting 60 million passengers who pass through Dubai and Sharjah international airports.
The bank has inked a five-year deal for optimum positioning in a market where banks have come under fire of late for a lack of transparency.
Despite touting their new media marketing campaign as the largest, HSBC declined to say how much the ad push will cost.
"It's certainly the biggest media investment we've ever made in the UAE," said Mark Mullen, Regional Head of Marketing, HSBC Bank Middle East, in an interview with Gulf News.
"We're not going to give you a number — it's subject to confidentiality."
The deal involves pasting HSBC's brand logo on 60 jet bridges and at least 100 shuttle buses at the two UAE airports.
HSBC profits reportedly dropped by 74 per cent in 2009. Recent comments by the head of HSBC in June that debtor's prisons are a proven means of recouping bad debts also created a stir among customers and critics.
In an interview with Arabian Business, HSBC head Abdul Fattah Sharaf said: "It has worked for us. People immediately get people to come and bail them out, and get the money in... [Historically] it did work. In most cases it did work."
Meanwhile, news of the new HSBC airport campaign roll out this week didn't sit well with some customers.
"I've been with HSBC for five years and I'd rather see them spend the money on improving their services rather than splashing their all over some airport," said one 46-year-old UK expatriate and HSBC customer.
Mullen, however, said the money spent on branding for HSBC at airports is well spent because it keeps the brand front and centre for a captive audience.
"One of the real challenges of media is finding a vehicle that can talk to a variety of customers at the same time," Mullen told Gulf News, noting that "everyone goes through the jet bridges. It's a wonderfully inclusive media placement where you know you're talking to everyone."
Mullen pointed out that the latest effort to wallpaper UAE airports with the brand name follows similar efforts all over the world starting with Heathrow Airport in London in 2001.
The bank has since implemented similar media marketing campaigns at airports in China, France and the United States — HSBC advertising is now displayed in 48 airports in 24 countries
Seventy per cent of passengers travelling through Dubai International Airport are from international destinations, said Mullen, creating an environment to reach out to existing and potential clients.
"We know we are talking to people who live and work in the region," Mullen said. "We know we're talking to people coming from all reaches of the world."
Part of the attractiveness of branding jet bridges is that the attempt by HSBC to announce itself directly to the customer is not lost in the shuffle of other brand names. Mullen said the challenge is also to "find a vehicle that hasn't been saturated [with other brands] before…to find a place that isn't cluttered."
The bank's efforts to attract attention continue "inside the airport buildings, including the VIP Terminals in Dubai International," HSBC said. Backed by more than 100 years presence in the region, Simon Cooper, CEO of HSBC, Middle East and North Africa, said the financial institution continues to take a long view on markets as evidenced by the five-year airport agreements.
Outlook
"Our medium- and long-term outlook remains positive for Dubai, for the UAE, and for the Middle East. The region will continue to be an important market at the heart of international trade and investment flows. Our strategic investments in the region will ensure that HSBC is the bank best-placed to take advantage of these opportunities," Cooper said in a statement.
"Dubai International is the world's fourth busiest airport for international passenger traffic, making it the ideal location for our very successful airport branding campaign."
