Major Bank
Defining the strategic building blocks for premium across a major bank’s cobrand credit card business
THE BRIEF
A major bank needed to understand if, where, and how premium should play across its cobrand credit card portfolios as proprietary cards encroached on the once-unique benefits of cobrands. The client needed a clearer view of how its airline, hotel, and retail portfolios could create more distinctive value across different partner brands, cardholders, and contexts.
THE WORK
We interviewed stakeholders, assessed premium moves across the market, looked beyond financial services for inspiration, and spoke with 44 consumers to understand what premium means, how it's judged, and where it matters most.
From those insights, we developed a cardholder-led foundation for the overall strategy and a practical framework that gave cobrand teams a shared vision, clear opportunity areas, stimulus to generate portfolio-specific ideas, and an initial set of concepts. The work also equipped cobrand teams to guide partner conversations and make stronger decisions about where and how to deliver premium value.
