‘Today, the merger of large banks is normally followed by a re-branding campaign. VTB, for one, is a striking example of large-scale re-branding brought about by some external rather than internal factors. One should bear in mind that a re-branding campaign will always be successful as long as it is launched properly,’ says Viktor Nemikhin, the executive of BrokerCreditService Company Ltd.

‘However, the success of such campaigns can also depend on the bank’s marketing policy. Coming up with the image and the slogan alone is not enough; the bank’s name must be made simple and recognizable. VTB and URSA Bank are the ones whose re-branding was very efficient in this respect. The further payoff depends on the management,’ Mr Nemikhin says.