The Banking Executive Magazine - April 2021

KIB KIB Family A NEW ORIGINAL ANIMATED SERIES THAT SETS A PRECEDENT IN THE KUWAITI MARKET In the first of its kind marketing proj- ect to be launched by a brand in the GCC, Kuwait International Bank (KIB) announced the launch of a brand new original animated series, KIB Family, which will be released by the Bank during Ramadan across its social media platforms. The weekly series was conceptual- ized and fully developed by KIB, in collaboration with a leading global animation studio, as part of the Bank’s ongoing efforts to deliver in- novative campaigns and products to market, beyond the scope of its fi- nancial services and solutions. The animated series follows the antics and daily activities of the six-member ‘KIB Family’, a modern nuclear Kuwaiti family that is navigating the endless demands of contemporary Kuwaiti life – with the help of KIB’s comprehensive suite of digitally-fo- cused banking solutions. In each one-minute episode, the show fol- lows members of the KIB Family in various comical situations that are common for many living in Kuwait today. Speaking about the series, Othman Tawfeqe, General Manager of KIB’s Retail Banking Department, said: “In- novation and creativity: these are the two biggest motivators and drivers for us at KIB. We are determined to be innovative and creative, yet strate- gic and business-focused – in every- thing that we do and everything that we offer our customers, including our marketing campaigns and initia- tives. We are extremely proud of this series, which we believe is truly a turning point in the Kuwaiti market and sets a precedent for what brands can and should offer the public.” On his part, Fadi Kamal, Executive Manager - Marketing & Customer Proposition at KIB said: “This series redefines the traditional realms of marketing and creates a whole new way for us to engage with people, as we interweave comedy and story- telling with information about our own products and services. This is marketing for a new generation of digital-savvy and entertainment-lov- ing consumers.” Adding: “We all know that series consumption goes up drastically dur- ing Ramadan, and the medium has shifted from TV to digital platforms and streaming services. So we de- cided to capitalize on that trend and create a whole new digital marketing platform just for us. In this day and age, we don’t need to rely solely on existing media channels and formats – we can create our own.” The concept for the show was devel- oped from scratch by the in-house marketing team at KIB. The anima- tion studio was then brought on- board to bring the series to life, an arduous and complex process that took more than 18 months of hard work, from character development and storyline creation to the final rendered animation. Teams across lo- cations and departments worked seamlessly together to bring the se- ries to life, adapting quickly and in real time to the travel and social dis- tancing restrictions imposed by the pandemic to ensure production never stopped. Tawfeqe further added: “When we first started putting together the con- cept of the show, we wanted to rep- resent the modern Kuwaiti family in a way that people can truly relate to. From the young entrepreneur look- ing for smart financial solutions, to the head of a family seeking out pre- mier banking services catering to his and his family’s needs, all the way to the young child who is just now start- ing to understand the concepts of money and saving – the KIB Family is a typical Kuwaiti family that gen- uinely represents our customers and their own families. Our offering is tailored to suit the needs of today’s consumer across all segments, it’s that simple The six-minute pilot episode pre- miered on KIB’s social media chan- nels on the first day of Ramadan, with subsequent episodes released on a weekly basis. A total of 15 episodes have been produced so far for the show’s first season, with pro- duction already underway on season two of the show. ISSUE 148 APRIL 2021 the BANKING EXECUTIVE 41 KIB OthmanTawfeqe