Purpose

In the mid-1990s, market demands for around-the-clock (24/7) banking and financial transacting began to converge with advances in internet-based technologies. This confluence of forces gave rise to the birth of internet banking. Building upon the relevant literature, this paper aims to develop a set of propositions to address the following questions: what brand strategy or strategies were used at the birth of internet banking roughly 25 years ago? In the years since then, have merger and acquisition transactions involving internet or “direct” banking businesses only come to fruition where the direct bank was previously under a specific brand strategy? And finally, where there have been changes in internet banking brand strategy, have these invariably been in the ultimate direction of one particular brand strategy?

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the exploratory nature of the research question, this paper uses a case study examination as the research approach. In addition to gaining deeper insight into issues involving internet bank branding as these actually existed, this paper aims to propose preliminary and tentative conclusions that can later be tested empirically with larger sample size. The case studies specifically examine German commercial banks with direct bank businesses.

Findings

In the examination of the German commercial banks, this paper finds that their internet banking activities some 25 years ago were, in fact, never launched using an umbrella brand strategy but rather with a combined brand strategy or multi-brand strategy. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions involving internet-based direct banks were only consummated where the direct bank had previously been operated by the parent bank using a multi-brand strategy. Where the brand strategies of internet-based direct banks have been changed by their parent banks, this has invariably been in the direction of an umbrella brand strategy.

Originality/value

Within the marketing and banking literature, there are no in-depth examinations of internet banking brand strategies to be found. This paper, in addressing this research topic, marks the first full survey of German commercial banks with internet-based direct banking businesses. This survey, moreover, examines branding not only at the time that internet-based direct banks were first established starting in 1994 but also the subsequent development of internet banking brand strategies to the present day.

中文翻译：

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1990 年代以来德国商业银行的网上银行品牌战略

目的

在 1990 年代中期，市场对全天候 (24/7) 银行和金融交易的需求开始与基于互联网的技术的进步相融合。这种力量的汇合催生了网上银行。在相关文献的基础上，本文旨在提出一系列命题来解决以下问题：大约 25 年前互联网银行诞生时使用了什么品牌战略？从那时起，涉及互联网或“直销”银行业务的并购交易是否只有在直销银行之前采用特定品牌战略的情况下才能实现？最后，在网上银行品牌战略发生变化的地方，这些变化是否总是朝着某一特定品牌战略的最终方向发展？

设计/方法/方法

由于研究问题的探索性，本文采用案例研究作为研究方法。除了深入了解实际存在的涉及互联网银行品牌的问题外，本文旨在提出初步和暂定的结论，以便以后可以用更大的样本量进行实证检验。案例研究专门考察了拥有直接银行业务的德国商业银行。

发现

本文通过对德国商业银行的考察发现，它们在大约 25 年前开展的网上银行业务实际上从未采用伞形品牌战略，而是采用联合品牌战略或多品牌战略。涉及基于互联网的直销银行的并购（M&A）交易仅在直销银行之前由母银行使用多品牌战略运营的情况下才能完成。在互联网直销银行的品牌战略被其母银行改变的情况下，这总是朝着伞形品牌战略的方向发展。

原创性/价值

在营销和银行文献中，没有找到对网上银行品牌战略的深入研究。本文针对这一研究主题，标志着对德国商业银行开展基于互联网的直接银行业务的首次全面调查。此外，本次调查不仅考察了 1994 年互联网直销银行首次成立时的品牌建设，还考察了互联网银行品牌战略的后续发展至今。