Brand

The prominent symbol in the VP Bank logo is the “unround” circle, which embodies the bank’s philosophy and symbolises the focus on individual, tailor-made client experiences.

No two clients are the same. That is why creating individual client experiences is of the utmost importance to VP Bank. This is also reflected in the bank’s brand, which is continuously being developed and, with its “unround” circle, is just as unique and individual as the clients are themselves.

Brand structure and protection

VP Bank pursues an enhanced single-brand strategy. Wherever possible, it operates under the name VP Bank. Units that, for legal reasons, are not allowed to operate under the “VP Bank” logo use a separate logo with the “VP” ligature.

VP Bank’s brand strategy can thus be broken down into two levels:

VP Bank considers its brand to be one of its most valuable assets. This means that professional protection and effective defence are extremely important. Relevant tasks under trademark law include the development of protection strategies, availability checks, trademark applications and renewals, brand monitoring, brand assessments, enforcement of trademark rights and well-conceived domain management.

VP Bank works in partnership with leading trademark lawyers to ensure its brands are protected and monitored in target markets, opportunity markets and other markets, either directly or under the Madrid system.

Constant development of the brand design

The brand design can be summed up in a single word: “clarity”. The overall identity is modern and clear. Embodied in both digital and analogue form, it also conveys clarity, simplicity and a focus on the essential. A brand evolves with the needs of clients as well as strategic requirements. VP Bank is therefore committed to constantly reviewing and developing its brand.

The bank’s brand development work is thus carried out according to its own “stay-fresh approach”, under which the brand is constantly reinvigorated in small, incremental steps and adjusted in line with the prevailing corporate strategy.

New developments in 2024

Immersive experience 

The strategic initiative “Value Proposition Excellence” created the basis for redesigning the client experience. The new product landscape uses names based on sense perceptions and which convey the essence of the services: VP Sensa, VP Auda, VP Vida, and VP Clava. All marketing materials have been redesigned on this basis, including the product pages on the bank’s website.

In addition to an immersive experience for users scrolling through content, interactive, personalised content was also integrated in a gamification style. The structure of the information is quite different from that of other providers in the financial sector.

Digital and physical user experience

VP Bank is following a new, target-based advisory approach for its private clients. A tool was developed for this purpose with a user experience and user interface (UX/UI) design that is unique in the industry. As a result, VP Bank’s advisory experience differs significantly from that of its competitors. Alongside the tool, the physical experience in the client zone was also enhanced, using measures such as fragrance and sound marketing.

With the Investment Recommender, VP Bank now offers a new feature that makes personalised investment recommendations directly in the client portal. This has been fully integrated into existing e-banking features, providing clients with a seamless, intuitive experience.

A new approach to the annual report

The Semi-annual Report 2024 marked a change in VP Bank’s financial reporting with a switch to a digital-first approach. VP Bank is thus doing away with the printing of physical reports and is instead investing in the preparation of digital content. The Annual Report 2024 was also developed on this basis.

Design system

VP Bank introduced a design system at the beginning of 2023, ensuring a uniform design across its digital products and user experience. This system was supplemented in 2024 by technical measures to integrate code components, creating a holistic view of all digital touchpoints and applications to optimise the user experience and strengthen VP Bank’s brand identity.

AI-generated images

VP Bank has been using AI tools to generate brand-compliant images since 2023. For this purpose, brand guidelines were defined in 2024 to serve as input for text-to-image models. Using sophisticated methods, the style of illustrations and studio photography can be applied to AI models. AI-based post-processing tools are available for further optimisation. VP Bank sees AI-generated images as a supplement to existing creation methods rather than a direct replacement. A set of rules has been established for defining the purpose of use. AI-generated images are mainly used in internal communication.

Multi-channel campaigns

A number of different multi-channel campaigns were run throughout 2024. In May, VP Bank launched a regional image campaign in Liechtenstein featuring local employees from front-office areas, with their images acting as testimonials for VP Bank. The aim was to strengthen the bank’s reputation, emphasise its regional nature and convey competence in combination with approachability. The second round took place in October, and the campaign has garnered a great deal of attention and resulted in positive feedback for the bank.

In the third quarter, VP Bank funds were promoted using various measures at selected locations. A targeted campaign was also used to publicise the events relating to the bank’s flagship sponsorship commitment, the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open.

Commitments

VP Bank supports the principle of corporate commitment. Numerous social and cultural initiatives and projects have benefited from this commitment over many years. In addition, VP Bank is helping to develop and secure the status of both Liechtenstein and the regions in which it is represented as a business and industrial hub.

VP Bank supports selected sponsorship projects in the fields of sport, culture and the culinary arts. These are projects that are unique and provide a platform for young talent.

Sponsorship projects at a glance

Further information can be found on the VP Bank website at www.vpbank.com/engagements