Rabobank

Rabobank is continuously working on developing its brand to keep up with the changing market, strengthen its brand positioning, and remain distinctive and recognisable.

Rabobank’s brand portfolio is large and complex, with over 2,000 products for individual customers and 1,400 products for business customers in the Netherlands alone. This is in addition to its 976 different entities worldwide. Rabobank wanted to simplify its diverse brand landscape and convey a more coherent brand experience for both its online and offline channels.

Rabobank also wanted to update its visual identity to make the brand more adaptable to digital environments, give its underlying brands added flexibility, and refresh its look. This new visual identity needed to reflect Rabobank’s renewed brand positioning in the market, highlighting its cooperative heritage and promoting a greater sense of ‘togetherness and connection’. VIM Group was asked to support Rabobank with implementing the new brand architecture and visual identity.

The project started with an initial design audit and building the business case detailing the impact and necessity of the brand architecture adjustments. A Branded House strategy was chosen based on the results of a series of extensive surveys, leading to the creation of a strong, unified Rabobank brand. To make room for new initiatives and innovations, sub- and endorsed brands that could quickly be re-absorbed into the Rabobank parent brand will also be subsequently incorporated.

Following the approval of the business case, Rabobank’s Brand Management Team started further research as well as an initial elaboration of the architecture and the development of the roadmap for implementation. VIM Group provided support in the research process as well as the further elaboration and broader implementation of the brand architecture.

The choices made for Rabobank’s new visual identity were based on the need to match both its cooperative brand positioning and the demands of the digital business landscape. The new visual identity also needed to be more flexible to accommodate new innovations.

VIM Group supported Rabobank’s Brand Management Team with, among other things:

• Mapping the current brand landscape and conducting impact analysis.
• The elaboration of the new brand architecture.
• Setting up a Governance/PMO structure with internal stakeholders and a plan of approach for the brand change.
• Providing project management support during the design process and implementing the new visual identity.
• Setting up a brand approval process for new brands, innovations, and digital assets.
• Overseeing internal communications about the brand changes through various channels.
• Setting up a brand education programme with workshops and consultancy support for various internal target groups within Rabobank.

Rabobank’s new brand architecture and visual identity were implemented using an agile project approach, introducing the changes based on a natural replacement cycle. The process is nearing its completion, and so far, there have been:

• 243 name changes made
• 298 ‘look and feel’ updates completed
• 39 migrations of digital channels (website, apps, and social media) performed
• 50 digital footprints removed
• 402 digital assets removed

Rabobank now has a new, simplified brand architecture with clear guidelines and a digital-poof visual identity that represents its cooperative character is gradually being implemented across all brand touchpoints and channels.

We continue to work with Rabobank’s Brand Management Team to keep the brand portal up to date, ensure the smooth transition of Rabobank’s various brands, and provide support in the brand approval process and brand education project.