The Duncan National Commercial Bank of The Caribbean (DNCBC) is a relatively large financial institution in the Caribbean region. It has assets of over US $4 billion and in 2017 it experienced a net loss for the first time in over 50 years of operations. The loss was attributed to aggressive expansion in St. Lucia, Barbados and Dominica and the Directors estimate that profitability will be achieved in the new financial year March 1 2018- April, 30, 2019.The bank currently has operations in Trinidad, Jamaica , St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda and Cayman. The institution has recently established and launched mobile banking for retail clients and also a bill payment facility. The bill payment system launch and marketing campaign was deemed successful in Jamaica (Approximately 55% of clients using system). However in other Caribbean countries that they have expanded to and also operate, the data indicates on average only 10 % of clients are using the bill payment system. DNCB is also member of a Financial Group of Companies. The Bank offers personal and commercial banking solutions and investment services. Whether a customer would like to open a savings account, establish a small business, undertake a huge development project or simply enjoy retirement, DNCBC promotes through mainly print media that they are committed to facilitating their clients financial goals. The Bank also offers personal banking solutions at every stage of a clients financial life cycle. Its deposit and lending products are supported by a banking network which also facilitates the use of debit and credit cards. The company has incorporated in their marketing initiatives, an annual survey which customers complete. The general customers have also complained that the physical branch network is limited specifically in Jamaica and Trinidad. The target group of clients age 25-35 , have also indicated that the financial institution has very limited presence on social media platforms. A marketing officer in 2015 completed a SWOT analysis of the company, which was used to guide strategic initiatives for 2016-2017. The following details were contained in the document Strengths Conservative and sustainable business policy Transparent structures, high degree of flexibility and fast decisions Highly qualified and experienced staff Extensive market and investment management expertise Advanced risk management and pricing systems Strong capital base Weaknesses Higher liquidity costs, compared to most competitors Increased regional presence requires high staff resources High staff costs due to high levels of employee qualification in terms of academic expertise and experience Very limited presence on platforms such as , Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram Website for the bank not easy to maneuver, when searching for specific information Opportunities Building new client relationships in the new countries of expansion Numerous initiatives taken to broaden the product portfolio and enhance cross-selling Expanding the advisory and other services offered to clients, investors, and banks Boosting DNCBC's reputation as a reliable financial partner Threats Further increasing regulatory requirements Further increasing regulatory requirements Increased competition from other regional banks FINA 2009 Page 3 feedback over the years has been an increased need for client financial education and FINA 2009 Page 2 Requirements Your marketing consulting team is required to analyze the information presented and use information from other reputable sources and address below issues that the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Marketing has raised in meetings with your team. The Senior VP has asked that the team present information in report format and also an oral presentation to the Group Chief Executive Officer. The Senior VP outlined in an email to the consulting team that if there are other key elements outside of the issues she has raised, that it be properly documented in the report and also any assumptions , that are made when , when the team constructs framework to support a robust marketing strategy for the period 2018-2019. The Senior VP highlighted that the Management team of the Financial Institution was also not confident that a thorough SWOT was completed by the Marketing Officer in 2015 and this may have impacted sales initiatives and the overall public perception and use of the bill payment system that was recently launched. Issues Highlighted by the Senior Vice President of Marketing What are the mechanisms that can be put in place to ensure that the sales or marketing initiatives are robust and all stakeholders across the financial institutions and also region are aligned? Provide recommendations and evaluate the most relevant criteria the bank should adopt when considering the best platform of advertising media across the various countries and target segments, so as to execute a successful promotional and sales campaign. Prepare a brief marketing summary with initiatives for the financial institution to execute. This document will serve as the initial framework for the banks marketing activities in the second and third quarter of the financial year. Include how the initiatives will be implemented and controlled. If there are any new marketing initiatives recommended, how can this improve or translate to increased revenue for the financial institution?