Al-Masraf, between branding and the idea

Lately “Arbift”, one of the oldest banks in the UAE started a multi Million Dirhams rebranding project, renaming to “Al-Masraf” following a new website, long showing outdoor campaigns, and more to come.

The new brand

According to a press-release at Arbift website:

Al Masraf to replace the 33-year-old ARBIFT via a multi-million dirham re-branding program

Ibrahim Nasser Lootah: Move signifies Bank’s fundamental shift to the regional market

The new corporate identity is represented through the Trade mark “Al MASRAF” in Arabic and English presented in a specially blended blue color arranged vertically and separated by a golden yellow line and the circular shape with Arabesque links circling the Cinquefoil in golden yellow color with a blue background logo.

The golden yellow links circling the Cinquefoil conveys unity, collaboration for knowledge and prosperity. Also, it represents a coordinated system of people, activities, information and resources working together towards the goal of delivering a product or service to the client while the series of links symbolize the unified leadership of the bank.

Ahmad Majed Lootah added: “There is a marketing misunderstanding in the region that brand is about logo, stationary and corporate colors. Our re-brand campaign encompasses everything from customer perception and experience to quality, look and feel, customer care, retail and web environments.

Critique

A confusing bit in the identity is the fact that it has been a tradition for the last years to have “Al Masraf” as a meaning for an Islamic Bank. So at the first glance the new brand makes you feel it is an Islamic Bank which in some ways makes sense, having the fact that the new bank offers Islamic Financing plans. Yet confusing.

The slogan, “One Nation, One Bank”. Again a very ambiguous one. It’s confusing for many reasons.

• Al-Masraf is the only bank co-owned by the UAE government, so the “One Nation” bit points to UAE nation.

• Al-Masraf as mentioned in the above quotes from the press-release, is going to enter different Arab and International Markets , so? Is it an Arab kind of “Nation”?

• Al-Masraft as mentioned above portrays an Islamic face more than Arabic, considering the name, and in Arabic, the slogan uses the word Ummah which is taken differently by non-Arabs, which confusing enough gives the bank an Islamic Identity.

I like the visuals, it is so traditional and shows where the bank is coming from, yet sending confusing messages.

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