There’s perhaps no bigger sign of changes afoot at U.S. Bancorp — a company that, like a true Minnesotan, has long eschewed self-promotion — than its plans for a Super Bowl marketing blitz this weekend.
The company holds the naming rights to the Minneapolis stadium where the New England Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday evening. The event, often the most-watched broadcast of the year, will put the name of its lead affiliate — U.S. Bank — in household living rooms across the country.
U.S. Bancorp bought the naming rights in June 2015, shortly after the National Football League
The naming-rights deal was a bold marketing move for a Midwestern bank that historically has underplayed its heft in the industry, where it trails only the four U.S. megabanks in total assets. And it underscores the bank’s growing national ambitions as it prepares to expand its retail brand into new markets.
“It was an interesting shift to start to think about us as a national bank — and this is one big step toward that,” said Chief Administrative Officer
In an interview this week, Quinn said she has been preparing for the big game for the bulk of her five-year tenure. She joined the company in 2013 as head of marketing and reputation strategy. When the NFL selected U.S. Bancorp’s home city for this year’s Super Bowl, she knew it was a big opportunity.
“It’s a big darn deal,” Quinn said, quoting a phrase often used by former CEO Richard Davis, who is a member of the Minnesota Super Bowl host committee.
That U.S. Bancorp is seeking out the national spotlight is a significant change.
The company has been a top performer in banking for years, having largely avoided the crisis-era mistakes on credit that have dogged many of its peers. But the same conservative culture that has produced industry-leading returns has been a barrier when it comes to marketing.
Telling its own story has simply not been a top priority. CEO Andy Cecere once described U.S. Bancorp as
“They have tended to be very focused on the bottom line, and have not spent the proportional marketing dollars that a Chase or a Bank of America has,” said Jim Miller, director of retail banking services at J.D. Power. “I think it may be in the roots of the bank that they have a more challenging time talking about themselves.”
Quinn said that gearing up for the Super Bowl — designing social media and other national marketing — has involved pushing the envelope of the company’s Midwestern sensibilities.
“I think we’re ready for it,” she said.
It has also involved a significant financial cost. Quinn declined to comment how much the company is spending on its Super Bowl-related branding. During 2017, however, total marketing and business development costs at the company increased 25% from a year earlier.
While U.S. Bancorp has never officially disclosed how much it paid for the stadium naming rights,
“We’re in a position now where we have demonstrated very positive [return on investment] on our brand spend,” Quinn said.
In addition to having its name on the stadium for Sunday’s game, U.S. Bancorp is planning a large social media campaign. Part of that will involve what the company has billed a "
The Twitter campaign is designed as a fun, somewhat snarky way to show off the sense of humility that locals are proud of.
“Minnesota nice is a good-natured, ‘It’s no trouble,’ ‘You can borrow my snow blower,’ ‘I couldn’t possibly take the last rhubarb bar,’ kind of attitude that’s generous towards neighbors," a spokeswoman said in an email describing the campaign.
U.S. Bancorp has also set up a lounge near the stadium, where visitors can try out new technology, such as contactless transactions, or payments with virtual currency.
The company declined, however, to purchase a national advertising spot. Super Bowl ads are said to be running at about
“We’re getting so much brand recognition for the stadium, and I don’t think it would be marketing well spent,” Quinn said, noting that the companies that typically purchase the spots have it “down to a science.”
U.S. Bank does, however, have an ongoing branding partnership with NBC. During the pregame show on Sunday, the network will air several vignettes about the stadium and the company.
Taken together, the company hopes its national marketing efforts will make its brand more recognizable to retail customers.
Minnesota nice is a good-natured, ‘It’s no trouble,’ ‘You can borrow my snow blower,’ ‘I couldn’t possibly take the last rhubarb bar,’ kind of attitude that’s generous towards neighbors.
U.S. Bancorp currently has branches in 26 states, mostly in the Midwest and along the West Coast. It also has a national base of clients, using products ranging from credit cards to capital markets services.
Over the past year
“We’re looking at new ways,” Quinn said, noting that the company has a number of ideas in the pilot phase. “How can we digitally build that capability?”
It’s too soon, of course, to say whether U.S. Bancorp’s national marketing efforts will pay off.
"It’s hard to say that a single event will change customers minds," Miller said in discussing the impact of the stadium sponsorship.
Down the road, U.S. Bancorp hopes the effort will result in deposit growth, increased product sales and, more immediately, “overall awareness,” according to Quinn.
Discussing the Sunday’s game, the only regret Quinn expressed was that her hometown Vikings won’t be playing. The Vikings lost to the Eagles in the National Football Conference championship game two weeks ago.
She and Cecere will be in attendance, hosting members of the U.S. Bancorp board.
Reflecting on the national marketing push, Quinn said she is proud of what the company has accomplished.
“It might just be going back to that Minnesota nice idea, but everybody is excited, and everybody is doubling down,” she said.
