The world had suddenly changed. And Citi needed to change too. Because, when the chips are down, real corporate strength isn't about beating your chest. It's about standing by people – and keeping your promises.
Challenge: How do you help the bank at the center of the financial crisis examine and rethink its whole approach?
Solution: I was a leader of the award-winning “Citi Renewed” project, that re-imagined everything. From platform and voice, to environments, product offerings and community engagement. Brand campaigns don’t come much bigger than this.
Agency: Landor
Repurposing existing real estate to benefit local communities.
Pop-up business startup centers in malls across America. The spaces would then be left to successful new businesses.
New financial products for the new moment. Including a micro-finance credit card that would help people focus aid to the needs of local communities.
New internal programs to identify the next generation of thought-leaders across Citi's global network. And propagate their ideas more rapidly.
New mechanisms to harness and incentivize the "outsider" thinking of new hires. To shake up an "establishment" mindset.
New digital tools in branch, online and on-app – to raise awareness of how precisely Citi was spending government TARP loans. Building community confidence and reducing mistrust.
The Citi Renewed program had a number of positive outcomes. Birthing several internal programs. While our "Citi Manifesto" came to life as the "Promises" campaign Publicis subsequently rolled out in New York.
Task: How do you build a coherent global brand across a vast number of nations?
Solution: I worked on a wide range of projects to ensure that everything from brand voice, to product creation, to external partnerships remained aligned across the whole global network. And guidelines were clear, comprehensible and easy to follow.
Projects included:
•Developing guidelines to standardize worldwide messaging.
•Managing and co-ordinating internal and external teams on a range of product naming projects.
•Working on Strategy projects around card protection architectures and external partnerships.
•Creating diversity and engagement programs to build employee retention.
How can you rebrand Taco Bell to broaden its appeal to a wider range of consumers?
How do you shift people's perceptions about a major software company? Moving it from "generic supplier" to "thought leader"?
How do you use digital to get customers to see an executive car in a whole new way?
"Mike Kerr is probably smarter than you. He probably thinks faster than you. I know he cuts through the bullshit faster than anyone.
He thinks: If not this, then that. Or, what about this? And, why NOT this? Imagine we want to take this person to that place; what nicer journey could we take them on? And so on.
Mike hears what the client is saying before most of us.
He cares, he wonders, he wants the best, he’s courageous. He listens. Imagine that. And Mike absolutely owns what he does.
Mike’s a great creative partner. I'd work with him anytime. Every time."
"The world sees him first as a writer. And he's the finest, most rigorous writer I've ever worked with. But in reality, I value Mike as a creative partner, a conscience, a bullshit detector, and as someone who brings his best game every single day."
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