Doina Fetco, Marketing Director at maib, in an interview with journalist Pavel Zingan
Doina, hello. A few weeks ago, I spoke with Eugen Boico, founder of the Publicis Moldova agency, who collaborated with the bank to develop the Tu conduci. maib/ You drive. maib concept. I rarely hear the client's perspective on such projects, so I'm delighted to hear your story about this concept. To start, where did the need for change come from? Maib had a colourful slogan - next level. Why was it necessary to change it?
A year ago, when I took over as Marketing Director, we started to internally evaluate the positioning of the maib brand on the market. A few years have passed since 2021, as the bank had rebranded and the vision and ideas centred on the next level slogan were formed. In the meantime, maib has gone through a tremendous transformation and has indeed reached the next level. However, what was done was not enough. Yes, we had reached the next level, but it was time to go further.
You took over the Marketing Department last spring, so work on the Tu conduci. maib concept started...
Following a tender at the end of last summer, we started working with Publicis Moldova to develop the Tu conduci. maib concept.
By the way, I wanted to ask. You use two versions of the promotion, in English and Romanian. They are close in meaning, but being two languages, there are slight differences. Which version came first? Although given that Eugen recently helped me find an English equivalent for a Russian title, it was probably You drive. maib?
Yes, we started with You drive. maib, then we adapted the concept into Romanian and sounded the concept Tu conduci. maib. In the English version, there is more emotion; "drive" is a verb and a state of mind, emotion, and passion. However, "conduci" in Romania emphasises leadership more. This is important in terms of companies and entrepreneurship. If a bank helps a person manage his life, then a businessman and manager help him manage his business and lead his team. Sure, we can use You drive. maib and Tu conduci. maib separately, but I like the symbiosis and the way they complement each other, mainly since English, given the international nature of our goals, is used as a second language in the bank.
You drive. maib was the initial idea?
There were other interesting concepts, but they needed to be more convincing. When You drive. maib concept was identified, and we were sure we would go for it.
Let's move from wording to meaning. What does the You drive. maib concept mean?
It reflects the brand's positioning and strategy. We have constantly oscillated between customer orientation and customer centricity, where we focus on the customer's interests. Therefore, the "You" in the tagline is the keyword. It defines the customer's position in the customer-bank ecosystem we create and develop. "You drive" means that the customer manages their life and business, and the bank acts as a trusted copilot in this regard.A deep sense...
But that's not all. The mission of any organisation can only be achieved by its employees. "Tu conduci" is not just about the customer. It refers to every employee of the bank, the way we work, the way we act, starting with our own decision to work at maib today, to have the opportunity to grow as part of the bank team and to accept all the challenges of our mission. Each of us, in our own place, manages our lives and takes responsibility for ourselves. Who decides? You decide.
Interesting. As a bank customer, of course, I accepted You drive. maib for me. But as you say now, the concept becomes even more fundamental, because it is the bank's team that gives me the opportunity to drive...
Yes, it's our employees who represent the maib team everywhere. They are the first ones to position the brand everywhere - in customer communication, conferences, meetings at ministries, and interviews, so, yes, everywhere. If we don't drive our solutions and implementation, the brand promise will remain just a promise.
It is now even more evident why the message is personal and why the slogan begins with the pronoun "You".
It is essential for us that each person understands that it is about them. If you're the customer, it's about you. If you're an employee, it's also about you. The most exciting thing is that, subconsciously, we have started to use this slogan in our everyday communication, among colleagues, and in our approach to promoting all our products. This slogan has become so easily integrated into all aspects of our communication and marketing activities that we find it hard not to use it.
As a journalist, I find it interesting to analyse how semantics influence our attitudes. I liked the old 'next level' slogan, but it has yet to be achieved somewhere in the future. But 'You drive' refers to 'here and now'. You decide today, at the moment, and this moment shapes your future.
It is a call to action. Imagine that you have a task, that you are the leader of a team and that you have to manage the accomplishment of tasks by all team members. You drive. maib has truly become part of our everyday vocabulary.
What are the next steps in developing the concept? The commercial is just the beginning, isn't it?
It's just the beginning. So far, we've gone through two phases. We announced the slogan in December when we made the year totals and new plans. The next phase was the launch of the image spot You drive. maib. It will be actively broadcast on all channels by summer to become an integral and evident part of our customers and the bank's team's lives. And most importantly, in all our press releases, projects, and product launches, and there will be many this year, the "You drive. maib" slogan will play a key role. We will continue to innovate and support our customers' plans, offering products and services that meet their needs and fit their lifestyles. We will bring many innovations to the app so that customers will always have a convenient tool to manage their finances, select cards, transfer money and pay bills.
I was going to ask: what's next?
It won't just be news in the banking segment. We will also present significant projects in corporate social responsibility, where a new strategy will be developed. We have four major vectors ahead of us in this direction, but that is already a topic for another discussion. We will discuss it again soon.
Doina, I've come to my favourite question. What haven't I asked you? What did I miss?
We've covered everything. However, I want to thank my team-maib, Publicis Moldova, and Macar Severin. Together, we did great conceptual work that deeply expresses the sense of transformation and the bank's strategy. Without joint and coordinated efforts, it would not have been possible. I thank them all.
And finally, I would like to conclude with a phrase addressed to all readers: You Drive maib
