The official legal close (LD1) for this merger of two large banks took place more than a year after the initial announcement. To announce the close, introduce immediate benefits and begin to build awareness of BMO, communications were needed in all available customer-facing channels.

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Develop short videos to be displayed in the 500 Bank of the West branches starting at LD1 to engage with customers visiting a physical branch. Three 15-second videos played in rotation. 

Imagery included warm “people photos,” and the use of BMO blue and the red circle from the BMO logo helped introduce the BMO branding.

Messaging was direct, starting with “Bank of the West has joined the BMO family,” using phrases such as “together we can do more to help you achieve real financial progress” to build awareness and driving viewers to the transition microsite for details.

Additional communication channels included email, direct mail and digital messaging.