‘We do more than banking’

Standard Bank Malawi came tops at this year’s Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)-Malawi Group’s Annual Marketing Excellence Awards. The bank also produced Marketer of the Year in Thoko Unyolo, its head of marketing, and went on to scoop three top awards linked to marketing communications of its inaugural ‘Be More Race’ sponsorship. Be More Race won as Marketing Campaign of the Year, PR Project of the Year and Most Improved Brand of the Year. We caught up with Unyolo to find out the secret behind the success. Excerpts:

CIM has awarded you as 2017 Marketer of the Year. How do you feel?

In everything I give thanks to God. It is indeed a humbling experience! Never did I expect that my work would one day have such profound influence on the brand I work for, and make an impact on the entire marketing profession in Malawi. I am grateful for the honour done to me and my team and I would like to take this opportunity to dedicate this award to a number of people who have helped to make it possible for me to rise this high.

What is the significance of these awards to both your customers and the bank?

We are delighted that these awards have recognised our sustained delivery of tailor-made services to our customers. To our customers this shows that we are moving forward together.

Which campaigns that made possible for the bank to shine this year?

In May this year we announced the launch of the Be More Race that brought together customers, community, civic leaders and professional athletes. Our sponsorship of the Be More Race underscored Standard Bank’s passion in taking the lead to create meaningful engagement for customers and other stakeholders. The theme ‘Be More’ describes how far as bankers we are willing to go to demonstrate that we can do more than banking. Beyond the bank, we realise that we live in communities where we can do more to impact positive change and move lives forward and this initiative was a success, and it really earned us these awards.

Why is the Be More Race important to Standard Bank?

Be More Race encourages both bank and its customers to go an extra mile in exploiting their potential. As employees, we are striving to be more than just bankers, by embracing wellness and community engagement. For our customers they want to become more responsible not just for their businesses but also for the community. As you are aware, proceeds from Be More go towards supporting our girl education programmes within the bank.

Being a first woman to win the award, what does this mean to the girl-child in Malawi?

Standard Bank in partnership with the United Nations Childrens Education Fund (Unicef) is currently running a girl mentorship programme aiming to encourage girls continue with education. We are the bank that provides an equal-opportunity to women. So this award to me also stands as an encouragement to girls out there that with education, hard-work and discipline they can achieve more than the ordinary. It also highlights the fact that when as a nation we empower the girl child we can achieve real results like the first female marketer of the year in Malawi.

Any other word?

Moving forward as a bank that strives to make progress real, we would like to lead according to our motto of moving the economy forward by bringing to our customers superior and innovative banking solutions to meet our customer’s needs.  To my team at Standard Bank, my word of advice is; aim for iconic. Rise to legendary. Make history.