Welcome new customers

When First Niagara Bank acquired over 200 new upstate New York branches from HSBC, it was the most significant event the bank had ever announced. They asked Adams & Knight to help them use the opportunity to increase their awareness, retain customers from the acquired branches, and win hearts and minds within the acquisition footprint.

Adams & Knight orchestrated First Niagara’s most integrated go-to-market campaign to date, incorporating advertising, sponsorships, public relations, community giving, corporate sales rallies, promotions, merchandising and employee engagement. A substantial “Random Acts of Fun” guerrilla marketing campaign complemented all the marketing efforts and showed consumers in person how First Niagara is a “refreshingly different” bank.

Our integrated campaign proved to be the most successful in First Niagara history. In the two-month campaign window, awareness shot up substantially. Results included:

• A reach of 95% of our audience at least 25 times, through radio and television advertising.
• 9 million social media impressions and over 100 million advertising impressions.
• 40,000 consumers engaged face-to-face through the “Random Acts of Fun” guerrilla campaign.
• Accounts retained at acquired branches exceeded projections.
• New accounts opened greatly exceeded expectations.