Which Bank? The Liminal Bank

Umpqua is a US bank that seems to have cottoned onto the whole idea of marketing through proximate community spaces, or what are called “third places.” As Johnny Laird (thanks for the link) writes,

“Umpqua appear to have jumped enthusiastically into the Third Place idea, which also drives businesses like Starbucks and the whole slew of coffeehouses ‚Äì small and large ‚Äì that populate the street corners of much of the Western world. It reminds me again how important community is to people, and how ministries like The Freeway and Q Caf?© really get that concept.”

All I can say is, about time! I’m a HSBC super-premium-death-star customer (or whatever they call it) and everytime I go into a branch, it still feels like I’m being sold a used car.

I suspect that Umpqua’s approach works, beyond the obvious cool factor, because they’ve cottoned onto an obvious (in retrospect) consumer insight: Banking is related to other social activities, like shopping, socialising and doing business. If we engage in those things, the bank makes more money. But, let’s be honest here, how many times do our banks made it harder, not easier, for us to do enageg in those three activities?!?

And, while we are on the subject – how often does our way of doing church get in the way of why we do church?

[tags] Umpqua, Third Place [/tags]