As the world of banking continually changes, ushers an era of all things digital. ICE Business Times speaks with the successful brand professional who is making their mark in the financial industry. He explain the dynamics of the new age, the challenges of the market, and their passion for the job.
Anwar Ehtesham, Head of Brand, Dhaka Bank Limited
A Decade of Challenges and Changes
We are going through the most significant cultural shifts of our time. Attitude towards getting services, level of expectations from the service providers, service delivery/consumption process, media consumption patterns, information search methods, etc. are changing every day. Customers are getting more powerful and demanding; the banking Industry is also experiencing the same. Innovation and marketing are therefore getting essential not anymore for its growth only, but also for the survival.
Challenges in the Financial Industry
As per my understanding, the need of banks will reduce day by day, but the demand for banking (services) will increase at the highest possible pace. This dynamic indicates the rise of FinTech, payment gateways, more and more tech involvement into the banking system. So, banking industry must be in a position to embrace this shift and adapt accordingly. I think all banks should invest heavily in the technological capacity building. Dhaka Bank has already started addressing these issues. We have already introduced several technology-driven products/solutions namely, Dhaka Bank Go, Dhaka Bank Trade Cloud, Dhaka Bank BillsToCash, Dhaka Bank C Solution, etc. And we have plans to introduce more products in coming days. ‘Excellence in Banking’ end of the day is not a destination; it is the journey. Our core objective is to tap our products with everyday life which will mostly require technological advancement as well as customer need assessment.
Passion for the Profession
Communications and Branding are perceived as support services in most Banks and NBFIs of Bangladesh (in banking terms, it is the ‘cost center’). However, it should have been one of the core areas. I enjoy my profession. It is because my profession involves dealing with people from diverse ideas as well as professions. I hardly find any monotony in my profession as every day is a new day; I don’t know what I’ll be dealing with in the next afternoon. Don’t get me wrong; we have preset marketing plans as well as budgets, individual and collective goals, activity calendar, etc. However, many unknown and unplanned agendas come to our priorities almost every month. I’ll say, this is the beauty of this profession and I love it.
We collect market data from different sources, i.e., competitors’ activities, industry insights, global shifts, supply and demand trends, social media content consumption and feedbacks, etc. In this hyper-connected society, it is challenging to meet the expectations of every single customer because the requirements and expectations are widely diverse. I think we are no longer in the era of generic banking; instead, we have already entered into the age of genetic banking. By genetic banking, I tried to mean that every customer is different (applicable to both retail and corporate customers) and needs to be treated differently. The more customization a bank can offer to its customer, the more success it will cherish in coming days.
Banking for the Win
There is a saying, ‘wherever there are customers to be reached; there is a need for a Marketer.’ I came to this profession by choice. I am more of a ‘people person.’ I love meeting new people; learn new things as well as share my thoughts with others. And I believe that marketing is the place that best matches my passion.
There are more than just one winning sides in this profession. I think this trade allows me to communicate directly (and sometimes indirectly) with the stakeholders. It gives me immense opportunities to deal with creative works such as design, image, copy, colors and most importantly the ideas and strategies. The job is sometimes a bit stressful. Working for late hours and on holidays is an everyday norm. However, it brings smiles when I see that our creatives and campaigns are not only making our organization profitable but also changing the overall industry landscape.
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