The typical People’s United banker solves small problems and helps people on his way to work, and does so cheerfully and without hesitation.

At least, that’s the image the bank is trying to develop in a new branding and marketing campaign. And it has caught local competitors’ eyes, forcing some to consider how – or whether – to respond.

People’s United’s new effort is meant to highlight “the traits of empathy and expertise” that People’s United customers associate with the bank, according to customer research.

“Our new brand messaging is about being genuine,” Jack Barnes, president and CEO, said in a statement. “It reflects our 170-year commitment to bring not only experience, knowledge and proficiency to the table, but to do so in a productive and a personalized way.”

A new commercial, directed by Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and featuring the be-good banker, debuted during the Super Bowl.

Dena Hall, head of marketing at Springfield-based United Bank, said she wasn’t expecting to be drawn to a bank commercial during the game – let alone a glossy new ad for a regional institution and direct competitor.

“It was a surprise to me,” Hall told Banker & Tradesman. “I felt like my eyes were going to be on the big commercials, not banks.”

Each bank has its own marketing strategy, and Hall said a big splash by one doesn’t necessarily send its competition running for the lifeboats. United was established in Springfield in the late 1880s. Bridgeport, Conn.-based People’s United is a much more recent arrival.

And apart from a lawsuit – to which United was a party – arguing consumers would be much too confused by the presence of People’s United, United Bank and PeoplesBank in the same market, the institutions have managed to coexist thus far.

Walk The Walk

More recently United and People’s United each acquired its way into Worcester, where a lack of familiarity and the density of New England’s second-largest city can lead to problems differentiating the similarly named institutions, Hall said.

There, United plans to roll out “a couple of new campaigns” of its own over the next few weeks, she added. Hall stressed the new campaigns are not direct responses to People’s United’s re-branding effort, and have been in the works since fall.

Hall said United usually introduces a new marketing campaign about every other year. Its plan for the Worcester market, and markets to the east, is to put out a new campaign every year in order to “gain some attention in a crowded market.”

But those kinds of efforts cost money – and United’s marketing expenses dipped to $1.8 million in 2011 from $2.1 million the previous year, according to public filings.

Richard Gavegnano, chairman and CEO of East Boston Savings Bank (EBSB), said community banks don’t have to blow money on advertising in response to the marketing efforts of banks new to the market.

People’s United has stormed onto the North Shore, EBSB’s home territory, most notably with its acquisition last year of Danversbank.

But Gavegnano said he isn’t worried.

It’s been four years since EBSB has done any kind of re-branding, and its marketing and advertising spending increased only modestly between 2010 and 2011. For Gavegnano, the bank’s reputation in the community is much more important.

“It’s walking the walk, not just talking the talk,” he said. “If you’re consistent, you don’t have to worry about re-branding.”

Customer In The Middle

But despite all the research, marketing isn’t exactly scientific.

People’s United says it surveyed customers and did loads of market research in order to arrive at the new “know how” tagline and advertising campaign. But the research can’t predict whether either will work as intended.

“Each bank has its own purpose for branding,” said Brian Thompson, president and CEO of Worcester-based Commerce Bank & Trust Co.

“What might be good for them, might not be good for us,” Thompson said. “Everyone has their own space.”

Thompson said Commerce spends “a reasonable amount for a bank our size” on marketing and advertising, and spreads that money over a variety of media, including print, radio, television and sponsorships. Three years ago, it “re-branded” and “added a little life” to its logo’s color scheme.

The bank gets the sense the campaigns, which are heavy on photos of the bank’s staff, are effective.

But still, “it’s hard to measure,” Thompson admitted.

Julie Hall, executive vice president of Schneider Associates, a Boston-based marketing and communications firm, said it’s difficult for banks – especially large or regional banks moving into new markets – to come across as “authentic,” “real” or “homespun.”

To consumers, “transparency and authenticity are almost a little trite,” Hall said.

At a recent advertising industry conference attended by Schneider’s Hall, a financial services firm announced, “‘The customer is the center of everything we do,’” she said. “I was wondering, ‘where were they before?’”

But People’s United is so far on the right track. Successful bank re-branding depends upon “awareness of the environment around you,” Hall said.

Bringing customers into re-branding efforts and “using them in their advertising” is a smart move for banks, the marketing advisor said, especially at a time when consumer sentiment about banks may be at a low point.

“They’re making themselves seem more homespun, and they’re doing a good job,” Hall said. “They’re trying very hard to be in the community and to be involved in the community, but they have a lot of bad blood in the community.”