RBC INSURANCE BRAMALEA CITY CENTRE REVITALIZATION PROJECT
BACKGROUND
RBC Insurance® offers a wide range of life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth and reinsurance advice and solutions, as well as creditor and business insurance services to individual, business and group clients. RBC Insurance is the brand name for the insurance operating entities of Royal Bank of Canada.
RBC Insurance has 53 stores across Canada. They are divided between small plaza strip malls with an outdoor facing and entrance and indoor malls such as the Bramalea City Centre store. Some are attached to or in close proximity of their banks while others are stand-alones. They do share the fundamental brand components of the banks but by law are required to run their business separately.
The community is ethnically diverse, regional, from seniors to Gen X & Y. Busy lifestyle, time starved. Bombarded with messaging. Tech savvy.
OPPORTUNITY
Resource Integrated was asked to look at a tactical revitalization of the current retail profile with a primary focus on execution of décor and display, but still keeping on track with their current redesign strategy as evidenced at their Waterpark location on the Harbourfront in Toronto, which is relatively new. We visited this location and noted key branding & décor components, colour palette and consumer communication tactics.
We were free to express our vision for a stronger brand presence and a more impactful brand awareness, visibility and differentiation from competitive brands in a retail space.
INITIAL OBSERVATIONS
We visited several of their strip mall locations. They were fairly consistent in their branding, décor, colour palette and consumer communication. Most appeared dated and in need of revitalization.
CHALLENGES
- Low key exterior décor with a very neutral colour palette. RBC Insurance is almost invisible.
- Intimidating profile, dark interior, institutional, not approachable.
- Very dated décor and fixtures, feeling heavy and recessive.
- No use of dynamic (digital) or back lit media to attract attention.
- Almost no use of lifestyle imagery or emotional connection.
CONSIDERATIONS
These are a collection of our insights while walking through and around the retail environment.
- Create a more powerful product profile with strong simple statements and visually compelling imagery that connects to the consumer needs on a more sophisticated contemporary level.
- Be highly conscious of scale and proportion.
- The RBC brand can exist fairly low key so as not to undermine its integrity.
- We were dealing with a small space so keeping it simple and uncluttered was paramount.
- It was critical that everything we recommended be affordable and executable
WORK DONE
- Replacement of frosted panel on both front windows and interior office window.
- Creation of a new bulkhead.
- Recladding of exterior facing walls with upscale wood laminate and metal trim channels.
- New backlit LED Exterior logo, fabrication and installation.
- New dynamic media behind front counter.
- Refinishing and new laminate on front counter.
SOLUTION
The end result is a sleek, modern, upscale look reflective of a contemporary financial institution that gives customers confidence that they are being serviced according to the brands superior standards.
