A brand for all seasons

Like many of its branches scattered across the nation and beyond, this First Bank branch is situated beside the University of Ibadan. The location is strategic and accessible in the bustling city of Ibadan.

Given the density of human traffic that usually swarms the area, I had as usual prepared myself mentally to square up for a possible endless wait in the banking hall that scorching afternoon to carry out my transactions, especially since it was the eve of a public holiday. After all, isn’t that the common experience of customers in many banks in Nigeria today, the advent of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) notwithstanding? However, as I settled into this particular First Bank branch, it became obvious that my fears were unfounded and ill-informed.

At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Not only did the queue move fast enough, I observed that the staff demonstrated enviable measure of professionalism that could compete favourably with any other globally. The near-perfect service that was on offer for the bank’s customers to experience was highly satisfactory. To say that I was impressed is an understatement. They proved that old age is not as excuse for mediocrity.

As if one of the cashiers sensed my delight, she caught in on that to advertise one of the bank’s products to me. You could guess what my response was! As I left the bank that day, what became unmistakably clear to me was that FBN is a bank for all seasons.

To be sure that that particular memorable experience was not a ruse, I had since undertaken further transactions in other branches of the bank and what I found was the same: This FBN means business!

So, when I discovered that for the fourth time in a row, The Banker Magazine named First Bank as the best banking brand in Nigeria, I felt relieved that my sentiments were not misplaced after all. The bank had won the best banking brand in Nigeria in 2012, 2013, 2014 and now again in 2015. For the shareholders and the managers of the bank, there is indeed every reason to celebrate this much-deserved recognition from such a high calibre assessor.

What is evident from this is that the FBN brand is an admirable brand whose testimony could eminently impart wisdom to humble managers in the nation’s economy. Particularly if viewed from the perspective of its position as the longest surviving bank in Nigeria, having existed for over a century and two scores, its innovative strides deserves to be studied by management pundits.

Equally gladdening for me is the bank’s unrelenting effort to support inclusive growth in the nation’s boisterous economy. The bank, apparently aware of the palpable concern which has characterised reaction of the generality of the populace, particularly those in the bottom pyramid, for an economy that seems built and hyped on voodoo growth dynamics, has therefore focused its attention on real and impactful development.

Indeed, one would not agree less that FBN today is a super brand whose success stories deserve further telling and study. Its leadership strength in the banking industry in Nigeria and even in Africa is commendable.

For a bank that has seen it all in Nigeria, that is also the first physical bank in Nigeria and still among the leaders in the banking sector not only in Nigeria but also beyond, it is true that the bank is not a generational bank but a bank of all generations. It is a bank whose brand is for all seasons.

Femi Babatunde