Supporting Unique People and Projects

Boris Marte, Head of the Erste Innovation HUB, visited the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences for the lecture series BRAND SLAM. Approximately 90 students of the master degree programme Digital Marketing & Communication and external guests engaged in an inspiring exchange with the dedicated pioneer of innovation processes in the banking sector. He gave insights into the story behind the #glaubandich (believe in yourself) campaign.

Launched in 2012, the “Erste Innovation HUB” is the the innovation centre of the Erste Group Bank – a place where ideas for the transformation and digitalisation of the company are born. Bankers, programmers, software designers, business and marketing experts come together to develop new banking solutions and initiate the necessary change and innovation processes. 

Development of the Campaign #glaubandich

With #glaubandich, the Erste Group Bank launched a campaign that awards people for their exceptional projects. “It was not an easy process”, says Boris Marte. “Corporate brands rely on credibility: making profit and creating credibility are two very different endeavours. It takes a lot to tell a #glaubandich story and we also had to have the courage to make internal changes.”

According to Marte, the Erste Bank can draw on its own history when it comes to finding the courage to change things. After all, business cannot be viewed separately from society. 200 years ago, the founders already showed a great deal of courage. They wanted to fight poverty and offer the poor a perspective for a better life. Small amounts of money earned by ordinary people should be invested in a secure manner to yield some profit to create autonomy and provide for schooling and housing. These were the educational and social goals of the very first Sparkasse.

These goals laid the foundation for the development of the current campaign: with a positive outlook on the future and sparked by the magic of an idea. However, it is essential to evaluate whether the company also acts according to this idea internally. Often, it is necessary to overcome old patterns, habits or practical constraints to do so.

What Makes a Brand Stand Out?

“If it isn’t our products that make us unique, it’s the stories that we tell. They draw on the archives and the biographies of our own recollection of events. This, in turn, creates attitudes that I want to incorporate because I want to be true to myself”, says Marte.

In #glaubandich, it is exactly these stories that are told. The initiative aims at supporting people who believe in themselves and want to achieve, realise or implement something, fight for something, stand up for something.

Internal Communication Process

The entire communication process on the campaign is continuously advancing. Up to the most recent campaign, the process has been going on for 20 years. It is vital that the employees are able to identify with the values and actively live according to them, explains Marte.

The slogan of the campaign “Unser Land braucht Menschen, die an sich glauben, und eine Bank, die an sie glaubt“ (Our country needs people who believe in themselves and a bank that believes in them) is the product of long communication processes – because the people are put first, and the company comes second.

About the BRAND SLAM Lecture Series

Initiated by advertising and digital marketing manager Helmut Kosa and Academic Director Helmut Kammerzelt, the lecture series “BRAND SLAM – Lectures for Advertising and User Experience” are positioned in the broader context of “Brands and Brand Management”.

The series features lectures for students held by national and international brand experts from research and practice. The lectures take an interdisciplinary approach to exploring brands, their development and their future from various perspectives and sectors. The event is hosted by Harald Wimmer, Academic Director of the master degree programme Digital Marketing & Communication, and Claudia Mann, Section Head for Teaching and Learning Administration. The Sparkasse Mitte West is the event’s cooperation partner.