The Royal Bank of Canada this month launched an integrated direct response marketing campaign to bolster the national rollout of its Royal Direct PC Banking service.

In addition to radio, newspaper, transit and Internet advertising, the bank is implementing regional direct mail support for the service, which was introduced in the Metropolitan Toronto area last December and the rest of Ontario in January.

The bank also plans to test some 60-second drtv spots in selected markets.

The first direct mail support package went out April 14 to Royal Bank and Royal Trust clients in Ontario who were believed to have the highest propensity to use out-of-branch services such as pc banking.

The next direct mail waves are scheduled to drop April 28 in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta; May 12 in b.c.; and June 2 in the Ottawa region, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

Ellen Ward Elliott, Royal Bank’s manager of direct marketing, says the campaign is being rolled out regionally to better manage call volume at the bank’s call centre in Moncton, n.b. The toll-free number that people call to sign up for the program, 1-800-ROYAL-55, will be used in all media.

The key offer for Royal Direct PC Banking is three free months of access, a free copy of ‘Managing your Money’ personal finance and budgeting software, and the waiving of a $9.95 activation fee. The regular monthly fee for the service is $4.95, plus $.50 per transaction.

Ward Elliott says the unique aspect of Royal’s PC Banking offering is that it allows customers to do their financial planning and budgeting directly on-line – within their personal accounts.

Once they obtain access to their account information by keying in a password and client card number, clients can use customized charts and tables to analyze a wide range of financial planning options. With the software’s budgeting function, for instance, users can determine exactly how much they spend each year on hydro payments.

‘It really gives people the opportunity to do their banking on their own terms,’ Ward Elliott says.

Stressing that the advertising for the Royal Direct PC Banking launch will put a strong focus on the Managing your Money software, Ward Elliott says the creative will also feature a ‘human element’ because pc banking is often perceived by consumers as ‘intangible.

‘We’ve come up with a whole new look and positioning for the Royal Direct channel,’ she says. ‘We’ll be using a lot of funky icons and logos, along with a message that will be demonstration-oriented and educational in nature, with a strong call-to-action to enrol in the program.’

MacLaren McCann Direct of Toronto is handling all creative aspects within the campaign, while its sister company, Initiative Media, is doing the media buy.

Royal Direct is the umbrella brand for the bank’s range of electronic banking services, which includes Internet and telephone banking. The Royal Direct channel recently exceeded the one-million customer mark after being launched 2-1/2 years ago.

Ward Elliott says the bank has narrowed its target audience for pc banking based on learning from its telephone banking direct marketing efforts over the past couple of years, as well as from focus groups.

‘We’ve learned that those clients who are already using electronic channels are more likely to embrace pc banking,’ she says.

Stressing that bank customers want choice and convenience when it comes to banking transactions, she says, ‘People need an opportunity to bank when they want to bank.’

In addition, Ward Elliott says Royal Direct PC Banking trials in Ontario have shown that while it can take some effort to get people to try the new service, once they do they quickly become advocates.

‘They tell us they can’t believe how convenient it is, and they say they would never go back to the old ways,’ she says.

Ward Elliott says the demographic profile of potential PC Banking users tends toward younger, family-oriented individuals with higher-than-average levels of education and income.

She also says that at approximately 54%, there is a higher pc penetration rate among Royal Bank customers than with any of the other major financial institutions in Canada.

‘That tells us that there’s definitely an opportunity for people to bank by pc,’ she says.