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DEEP QUAL: Linking local legacy – merging two Credit Unions

/ Christine Mullan-Jensen

Repsychable was approached in December 2023 to assist with the merger of two credit unions in Ireland. The creative branding team in Allen Creative wanted robust research to inform their creative development process. The new brand needed to embrace the starting points of both credit unions. Credit unions are not typical corporate banking structures. They are hubs of personal members, local communities and geographical contexts. Their model is unique, historic and not-for-profit. All credit unions in Ireland have been encouraged by the Central Bank to consider merger opportunities to sustain their future development. In this merger, the final credit union will be one of the biggest in Ireland. Ensuring a smooth transition into the new credit union has been crucial.

Approach

In any merger process, individual brand legacies cannot be lost in a new brand. For credit unions, so much of their operating model is about communal legacy and a personal touch. The distinct heritage of each brand needed to strike the right balance in the ultimate output of this project – the merged brand.

Repsychable created an extended deep qual research project (augmented with place-based assessments and quantitative research) to unearth the intrinsic story, identity and local legacy of each credit union. We acted as a sounding board for the creative agency and wider credit union teams across the merger process. The research was iterative in nature and consisted of multiple stages of qualitative research and project management by Repsychable from March 2024 until October 2024. Quantitative research was added at specific points by a partner agency.

Success

The final brand has been created to remain true to the initial brands (more to come when it launches). Given the extent of the research process, the team was able to understand the starting points for both credit unions. Multiple tweaks and tests of potential creative routes built towards the route which resonated most with their members and staff (and potential future members). The final name and branding was based on robust research and development work. It was a truly collaborative process across the staff, research and creative agency teams.

Reflection

Digging deeply into the rich heritage of both credit unions from the outset with a cultural audit phase on-site set the foundation for the project. All subsequent stages consolidated the cumulative learning from that point. The final direction created links between the legacy of the people, the local places in which they are embedded and the unique features of the new credit union.

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