ANZ’s first-to-market launch of Apple Pay step one in new brand marketing direction
ANZ Bank’s decision to be the first Australian bank to adopt Apple Pay in Australia is the beginning of a broader push to change consumer perception of the brand.
Matt Boss, managing director of products and marketing for ANZ, said the launch this week of Apple Pay for ANZ customers was just the first element in a new direction for the bank.
“(This) is really about repositioning of our brand in the Australian market. It is part of what will be a more deliberate brand repositioning in the consumer’s mind, and internally as well.
“This is something our customers have asked for and that is certainly a core reason for doing this, but there are other reasons and you don’t do something in isolation and we will take advantage of this situation from a marketing sense and a customer sense.”
A mainstream marketing campaign highlighting the benefits of Apple Pay kicks off on Sunday and the bank is looking to capitalise on its first move advantage in the space to capture ground from its larger rivals.
As soon as the announcement was made, social media lit up with questions from customers from other banks asking when their lender would join the Apple Pay bandwagon.
Boss said that being first to market could not be overstated and was going to deliver real value to the brand.
Boss: ANZ will make the most of first mover advantage to promote broader message
“Being first and being only is something that has both tangible value, and I would not miss the amount of tangible value that has, the point through around first is also important in that brand repositioning. This is something we can and will take advantage of.”
While Boss would not comment on rival banks and their Apple Pay strategies, he did look to other markets such as a the UK where one bank chose not to follow others in adopting Apple Pay and spent months trying to recover.
As a result, he said that ANZ would try to make the most of the first mover advantage to promote its broader message.
“It will be a very extensive, coordinated deliberate approach through many mediums,” Boss said.
However, Boss said one of the central elements of the launch, and being the first bank in the market with Apple Pay, would be to ride on the back of social media conversation to drive the brand.
“(It) is probably the most important element,” he said.
“There is nothing like individual advocacy, there is nothing better than a customer telling friends or family about an experience they had. There is nothing like it in a positive or a negative way. We look forward to those individual stories. We will definitely take advantage of the social element.”
The new campaign and brand refresh launches on Sunday night, with Boss saying it would gather pace in coming months.
Simon Canning
