Kiwibank Delivers First Major Brand Overhaul In A Decade

Wellington, New Zealand: Kiwibank has delivered its first major brand overhaul in a decade revisiting what it means to be Kiwi and revitalising its brand to reflect modern Kiwi culture.

Twenty years ago, when Kiwibank first launched, it was a promising start-up that went on to become a major challenger brand in the banking industry. Now, it employs more than 2,400 people across New Zealand and has over a million Kiwi customers.

During this time, there has been a significant shift in New Zealand’s collective self-perception, from Kiwi seeing their culture as jandal and stubbies to one that is progressive, innovative, and diverse.

Kiwibank’s CEO, Steve Jurkovich says, “Kiwi culture has changed a lot over the past two decades. When we looked at our brand, we wanted to understand what it meant to thrive and reflect how modern Kiwi see themselves and their culture today.

“After 20 years in business and as we look ahead at the change the bank is undertaking, it is the right time to better reflect the bank we are today and the ambition we have the future for our customers, communities and country.

“Kiwibank has ambitious plans for the future and is investing substantially to become the bank of choice for even more Kiwi. We are two years into a five-year transformation that will see us continue to grow and support Kiwi, balancing purpose and performance to make Aotearoa better off.”

To reflect this change, Kiwibank has redesigned its brand identity, including a new logo, inspired by the te ao Māori concept of a thriving Aotearoa, expressed through the native harakeke plant.

The banks digital channels have launched to customers this week and the physical network which includes agency services and business banking hubs – making it the largest physical network of all banks in New Zealand - will see updates and upgrades over the next few months.

Simon Hofmann, General Manager of Brand and Marketing at Kiwibank says the new brand direction will see a very different bank emerge in its 20th year.

“The change is a significant one. We are in the process of changing thousands of customer touch-points from website and digital tools, customer communication and social channels, to the app and ATM’s. Furthermore, our physical stores are being reimagined. We are launching a new brand “Local for Kiwibank” across our network of 100 partner sites which offer express banking services.”

“The brand platform and campaign reflect what it means to be Kiwi, featuring Kiwi brands that are modern, game-changing, and passionate. Kiwibank is proud to be the bank that is helping Kiwi thrive and ‘This is Kiwi’ demonstrates our purpose - Kiwi making Kiwi better off.”

To demonstrate its commitment to helping Kiwi thrive, Kiwibank has also recently launched Co-own to help enable more Kiwi with their homeownership dreams. Co-own is an alternative option to traditional home ownership where friends and family can team up to get on the property ladder sooner.

The new brand platform will launch on 15 May 2022, and features a line-up of some of the most inspiring and innovative Kiwi, including Allbirds, Dawn Aerospace, UBCO, Emirates Team New Zealand, Banqer, and pop duo sensation, Broods – all leaders in their respective fields and making a positive impact on Aotearoa and the world.

The campaign highlights the work each brand is doing in its industry to lead the way in creating a better world and celebrating what it means to be a Kiwi. From aerospace exploration to sustainable footwear, electric transportation, and financial education, these Kiwi brands are at the forefront of innovation and are inspiring Kiwi to follow in their footsteps.

The campaign has been produced by the New Zealand owned creative advertising agency Special and will be distributed across television, radio, online/digital, out-of-home, and social, alongside media agency OMD while the identity change was led by Kiwi design specialists ThoughtFull.

View the ‘This is Kiwi’ television commercial here.

View the ‘Co-own’ television commercial here.

View the background story to Kiwibank’s new identity please here

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