March 8 is surrounded by similar messages, gifts and promotions. Brands usually compete through large media budgets and influencer integrations, while the dominant visual codes remain soft colours, flowers and predictable statements about femininity. The Belarusian banking-merchandise market is relatively underdeveloped and is dominated by standard corporate gifts and souvenir products. Alfa Bank has taken a systematic approach to merchandise as a year-round communication channel, creating six proprietary collections and four collaborations with Belarusian designers over four years. Alfa Bank chose to break the March 8 pattern through a bold limited-edition collection with MAKEY, making the product itself the centre of communication. The collaboration extended the bank’s merchandise strategy into fashion, design and local craftsmanship.
Problem
Create a noticeable March 8 communication, attract women and avoid familiar gift stereotypes. Alfa Bank merchandise had to become a desirable fashion and lifestyle object, strengthen associations with style and modernity, and attract a new audience through the MAKEY partnership. The experience needed to be remembered because of the idea and product, not only the media budget. It had to stand out in both online and offline retail and make the brand relevant beyond conventional banking communication.
Solution
The “Red in the City” idea presented women as “red”(=bright, bold): they make the character of the city more expressive, intensify emotions and stand out from the ordinary. The collection consisted of a bag, a cardholder and a lipstick-holder keychain. Its defining element was custom lips embossing, developed specifically for the collaboration. Red represented confidence, individuality and the courage to be visible. The campaign challenged the familiar March 8 pattern of soft colours, flowers and predictable statements about femininity. Instead of another generic gift, Alfa Bank and MAKEY offered a product with attitude, visual strength and social value. The launch used Stories, giveaways, blogger and stylist seeding, image video in Alfa Bank branches, dedicated MAKEY corners, red-rose visual merchandising, makey.by, MAKEY stores and a-style.by. Limited availability created urgency and made the collection itself the primary media asset.
Results
The collection sold out within the first 72 hours. More than 1,300 items sold overall. Organic traffic exceeded 500,000. The target brand-image attribute increased by 6.7%, against a 5% target. Due to high demand, the collection was extended: MAKEY sourced additional leather and produced more accessories.
