This month, US based Citizens bank has opened its first branch office in a donut shop. The full service branch office is marketed as a “one-stop destination for all of their banking, coffee, and bakery needs.”

The donut shop, part of the Dunkin’ Donuts chain, is geared towards professionals grabbing a bite on the go. The same group of people Citizens bank is looking to cater. Adding the convenience of a branch office makes sense. But so would adding a dry cleaners, a laptop service shop or a grocery store.

One advantage: no-one will attempt to rob this bank.

Banks can use the media to create a positive image of themselves. On the other hand, bad publicity can bring a bank to its knees.

The Dutch DSB bank is a recent example of dissatisfied customers and bad publicity threatening the survival of a bank. Yesterday, the DSB bank was put under the control of the Dutch central bank, the DNB.

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Could you substantially reduce the vulnerability of banks by tightening liquidity requirements? Would this minimize the risk of a new financial crisis?

The reason we ask is the recent announcement of the new liquidity requirements by the British Financial Services Authority.

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Using humor in advertising is not an obvious thing to do for banks. Most banks prefer a serious approach, perhaps for fear of losing their image of credibility and reliability.

We wonder whether this fear is justified. We also regret the lack of differentiation. With few banks daring to stick out their heads, most of the ads end up looking the same.

Lighthearted
Wouldn’t it be possible for banks to be humorous and lighthearted while still being taken seriously? Take a look at the following ad from FirstBank.

“Find the sousaphoe to win free checking”

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