Award Winners 2009

Improved Success in Communication at PSD Bank Berlin-Brandenburg eG

Customer magazines are becoming increasingly important as communication tools. Despite this trend, no empirical  evidence has yet been submitted on the impact potential and impact parameters of customer magazines. In view of the greater  demand for effectiveness and efficiency of corporate communications, the shortfall in knowledge about customer magazines is to be viewed as a considerable disadvantage.

PSD Bank Berlin-Brandenburg eG is a regional cooperative bank, set up as a direct bank, with a head office in Berlin. The bank uses  the customer magazine “GELD + GEWINN” as a central communication tool for the purpose of maintaining its close dialogue  with customers. In view of the importance of the magazine for  the corporate success of the bank, a project has been conducted  to optimize the use of “GELD + GEWINN”, in collaboration with  the SVI Foundation Chair for Marketing and Dialogue Marketing of the School of Management and Innovation at the Steinbeis  University Berlin.

In a field trial, the influence of optical and haptic acti vation (high / low) and also the presentation of the content (editorial / promotional), the delivery date (Monday / Friday) and shaping of product group involvement (high / low) was reviewed.  Eight test versions were produced from the combination of cha- racteristics of the object-related parameters (visual impression,  tactual impression, content). A total of 32,000 customer magazi- nes manipulated in this way were sent by post. Three to four days  after delivery, 30 recipients randomly selected from each of the  total of 32 test groups were surveyed. Accordingly, about 1,000 test subjects were included in the study.

On the basis of the results, the SVI Foundation Chair developed a manual which will lead to impact-optimized utilization of the customer magazine with simultaneous cost savings. As part of  the collaboration, fi ndings have now been obtained for the fi rst  time which make it possible to extend statements on the effectiveness and impact parameters of customer magazines beyond  the magazine in question.

Project Partners

  • PSD Bank Berlin-Brandenburg eG, Berlin
  • School of Management and Innovation (SMI) at the Steinbeis University Berlin, Berlin

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