Case Study: M&T Bank Photography Program Management and Consulting
Imagine a bank with over 20,000 employees scattered across continents. Now, picture its online presence—a mishmash of individual portraits, each with different styles, colors, and feels. It's not precisely a unified brand image, is it?
That was the challenge faced by M&T Bank. They needed a way to create a cohesive visual identity that transcended locations and photographers while streamlining the entire portrait experience for their employees.
This is where we came in.
M&T Bank had partnered with us for years on various advertising and PR projects. However, they approached us with a unique challenge: to unify the image assets of their ever-growing bank. Previously, multiple photographers created each employee's portrait independently, resulting in a collection that needed more cohesion, especially in today's era of remote work and cross-office collaboration.
The bank aimed to create a unified collection where images created in Los Angeles would pair seamlessly with those made in Dublin, Ireland. Additionally, they sought a way to streamline scheduling and track portrait usage for better budget management.
We implemented a comprehensive program to address these needs:
Aesthetic Development: We crafted a new, repeatable, and portable signature look for the bank. This look can be easily adapted over time to ensure a modern and consistent visual identity.
Vendor Identification and Training: We identified and trained over 60 photographers across the US and Europe to service the bank's various offices, ensuring consistent quality and adherence to brand guidelines.
Document and Standards Development: We created a comprehensive suite of documents, including training manuals for photographers, wardrobe standards for employees, and pre-shoot guides for optimal portrait preparation.
Retouching and Compositing: To guarantee consistent image presentation, we partnered with a dedicated team of retouchers who handle all color correction, compositing, and final touches.
Scheduling and Program Management: We built a custom booking solution based on the Acuity scheduling platform. This allows employees to book sessions and the bank to track usage and billing information efficiently.
Ongoing Consulting: We provided ongoing consultations for various one-off projects, from high-volume group portraits to PR image libraries and architectural photography for new branch locations.
Leslie Sanford, whom we worked closely with on developing this program, shares her thoughts on its impact:
"Luke has been a tremendous asset to M&T Bank, helping us establish and manage our company's corporate portrait program. With 22,000+ employees across the United States and Europe, we needed a turnkey program that would ultimately deliver one consistent portrait for every one of our employees, no matter where or which photographer in our network handled the photography.
Luke identified every photographer within our network, worked with each individually to train and set up the portrait specifications, set up an automated scheduling system on our platform for employee self-service, managed regional pricing and negotiation, and alternative options for background retouching to provide our employees with internal and external use images.
Additionally, Luke consults and oversees all the logistics and pricing for our organization's custom photography needs. This includes managing large groups, individual executive photography for editorial use, and working with other commercial photographers for architectural shots of our building in various locations across Florida—managing the logistics and overseeing the final product until perfection.
Before Luke, every employee's corporate portrait varied in cropping, coloring, background, and more. He helped us establish modernized wardrobe and photography guidelines that display the true authenticity of our employees. He is helping us build a consistent army of brand ambassadors efficiently, saving our organization countless hours yearly through his program management."
~ Leslie Sanford – Senior Vice President – Creative Studio @ M&T Bank
The Impact: A Unified Brand Identity and Beyond
Through this comprehensive program, M&T Bank achieved a remarkable transformation. Gone are the days of inconsistent portraits. Today, they boast a unified visual language that showcases their employees in a professional and consistent light. Leslie Sanford's testimonial speaks volumes about the program's success. We delivered a streamlined solution and became a trusted partner, providing ongoing support for all their photography needs.
The result? A stronger brand identity, a more efficient system, and a happy client.
Ready to achieve similar results for your organization? Contact us today!
