ABOUT

bunq launched in the Netherlands in 2015 ‘using technology to fit an entire bank in your pocket.’ An evolution beyond previous online banks, bunq was the first to give customers complete control over how their money is used – positioning itself as the ‘clean alternative to traditional banking’.

In 2017 bunq asked futurefactor to help take the company on the next stage of its journey as it went international. The brief: drive awareness of bunq’s unique service, mission and purpose among its key audience of entrepreneurially-minded young people across Europe.

Prove
We began by developing a strategic and proactive PR approach in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, UK, France and Spain. We built on bunq’s purpose as a bank that challenges the status quo – the ‘Bank of the Free’.

Authenticity was key, so we placed bunq founder Ali Niknam at the heart of our strategy, developing a program to position the young entrepreneur as a thought leader in publications and on stages that the audience respects.

Improve
Our communications plan prioritized high value placements in tier-one publications as well as stages that positioned bunq’s founder as a peer alongside some of the biggest names in tech and innovation.

We used speaker opportunities strategically as a platform to deliver targeted media coverage for bunq stakeholders, and to build long-term relationships of trust with key fintech and innovation content platforms. A thought leadership-driven approach was combined with key announcements like bunq’s TransferWise and Apple Pay partnerships to maximise interest, impact and reach.

Impact
bunq’s launch in France was reported in Le Figaro. When Barack Obama came to Amsterdam to speak at AFAS Live, Niknam was on the same stage, alongside Booking[dot]com CEO Gillian Tans.

In all, futurefactor secured media coverage across banking, business and tech publications with a combined readership of over 400 million, spanning from TechCrunch and Le Figaro, to Het Financieele Dagblad and Business Insider.