Marketing to a Diverse Audience Award Finalist
Despite almost 200 years in business, a highly diverse employee base, and strong financial brand recognition across Eastern MA, Eastern Bank was still virtually unknown in the region’s non-white, diverse communities. To change this, they knew they had to work harder to earn their stripes and be recognized as a company fully engaged in D&I.
To help move the D&I needle in the right direction, navigate various communities with competency and respect, and build a differentiated D&I voice in their market area, Eastern Bank asked for the help of Greg Almeida and his company, Global View Communications. What has resulted from a decade-long relationship between Eastern Bank and GVC is nothing short of pure passion and commitment. Their approach has produced a strong mix of strategic planning and comprehensive programs spanning relationship building, advertising, event sponsorships, charitable giving, employee volunteerism and more.
The starting point was to identify and reach out to the right influencers, constituencies, and organizations, and to begin to forge meaningful relationships. Getting and staying on the radar of the Urban League, ALPFA, El Mundo, the Asian American Civic Association, The Bay State Banner, and others was a large part of this effort and continues to be so today. Never taking the community relationships they were building for granted, Eastern Bank re-doubled its efforts in the middle years to further deepen their connections. For example, the bank added major participation/sponsorship in El Mundo’s annual Latino Family Festival at Fenway Park and hosted a series of financial literacy seminars with ULEM to encourage and support small, minority and woman-owned businesses. Additionally, Eastern began launching advertising campaigns and Rich Holbrook, Eastern Bank’s CEO & Chairman, and Bob Rivers, their President and COO, started to become more visible as part of the campaign.
In recent years, Eastern has raised the bar even higher, serving a leadership role at the Urban League’s 2011 National Conference in Boston, hosting employee participation in the YWCA Stand Against Racism, sponsoring and participating in local Pride events, and forming multiple Employee Networks, which have been extremely active and continue to grow. Finally, never standing still, Eastern and GVC are working on two new areas: taking the lead in using social media to target, engage and recruit diverse talent; and ensuring that Eastern Bank’s career platform is real time, compelling and opportunity-rich. Both of these are at aimed at making sure Eastern Bank’s D&I commitment comes through even louder and clearer.
Eastern has taken a balanced approach to its investments and efforts, to ensure people know that Eastern is a great place to work, do business with and connect with … wherever you come from. Over the past decade and with GVC’s help, Eastern Bank has connected with thousands of people that they may have otherwise missed at the workforce, marketplace and community relations levels. The bank has supported countless more people, families and communities through its charitable contributions and employee service programs. As a signal of success in their ongoing efforts, Eastern officers and employees have been invited to join boards for organizations and companies that serve diverse audiences. Additionally, the bank has won multiple awards for its D&I efforts, and has been increasingly recognized by current employees as a place where you can bring your best and whole self to work.
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