VMLY&R Partners with Teachers Mutual Bank to Launch New Digital-bank Brand, Hiver

VMLY&R and Teachers Mutual Bank today announce the public launch of new digital-bank brand Hiver.

Hiver is the latest banking addition within Teachers Mutual Bank Limited, one of the largest customer-owned banks in Australia that supports essential workers and their families through their four divisions including Firefighters Mutual Bank, Health Professional Bank, Teachers Mutual Bank and UniBank.

VMLY&R partnered with Teachers Mutual to help build a new connected brand ecosystem from the ground up, from business casing to setting the experience vision, through to proposition, customer experience (CX) and brand experience (BX) design, and finally the go to market plan and creative campaign.

Hiver’s core purpose is to support the financial needs of their essential worker community, so they can focus on their important job of making the world a little better. Hiver’s own research shows that the vast majority (87%) of Australia’s essential workers agree they did not choose their profession for the money, but because they want to help other people. This insight helped form the focus of the launch campaign ‘The Betterers’ Bank’, starting today to raise awareness and encourage app downloads.

Hiver provides safe, simple 24/7 banking and offers personal financial management tools and essential worker benefits like 1% cashback* on grocery and public transport purchases, as well as bonus interest on Saver accounts.

Commenting on the campaign, VMLY&R chief creative officer, Paul Nagy, said: “VMLY&R has been working with Teachers Mutual Bank Limited since 2016, supporting the bank as it evolves alongside the modernisation of the financial industry. We were therefore so excited to launch their first digital-bank, Hiver, along with the Betterers’ Bank campaign.

“This campaign is the product of a rigorous project that focussed on establishing an entirely new identity for this latest edition to the portfolio of Teachers Mutual Bank Limited’s brands. We can’t wait to launch this among Aussie essential workers so they can see first-hand the benefits it provides.”

Nichole Banks, chief marketing officer at Teachers Mutual Bank Limited, added: “Launching a digital-bank was a natural progression for us, as we continue to innovate our services for the incredibly important network of essential workers across the country. With VMLY&R’s guidance and expertise, we were able to create a connected brand that truly delivers on our proposition at every touchpoint in the ecosystem.”

Craig Page, head of strategy at VMLY&R: “This has been one of those dream projects that gives us the opportunity to do everything we love doing. From upstream business casing, getting close to the audience to help frame the proposition, brand and experience design, and then taking the whole thing to market. It has been an invigorating, full-body, connected brand workout alongside Teachers Mutual and it’s great to see the fruits of everyone’s labours hitting the market.”