M&T Bank - Small rollout?

Although it is not clear what (or how far) this program has been deployed, we were very impressed with this prototype branch for M&T Bank in the greater Washington D.C. area. M&T, who are partly owned by Allied Irish and who operate a ~700 branch network along the eastern seabord and into western New York, commissioned its new branch design last year following a refresh of its overall visual identity and target customer experience.

As is evident from the photos, digital signage is the key merchandising element in the new branch design. Screens are located behind the teller counter--nicely offset by a simple gradation in the paint color--as well as near the checking writing desk, both of which are visible from the bank lobby (while unrelated to our topic, we can't help but also appreciate the back-lit acryllic surrounding the ATMs...quite the visual impact!). Content on the screens consists of bank messaging interspersed with frequently updated,news, weather, and sports information.


Since the launch of M&T's new branch prototype, we understand that the design has been incorporated into 50 or so denovo branches and that a number of the merchandising elements have been deployed to the network. While the extent to which the digital signage elements have been deployed is not clear, we had heard word of a mid-size pilot (15-25 branches) in the M&T network previously. As always, any confirmation or additional information would be much appreciated!

Branch design, the merchandising system, and communications strategy were provided by BrandPartners, and digital signage software and content services are believed to be provided by Inlighten.

(Photos taken from the BrandPartners website)