alder case study

In celebration of Guaranty Trust Bank’s 20th anniversary, Alder Consulting conceptualised and produced first-of-its-kind corporate postage stamps for the Bank.

Guaranty Trust Bank plc was incorporated in July 1990, as a private limited liability company wholly owned by Nigerian individuals and institutions. The Bank was licensed as a Commercial Bank in August 1990 and commenced operation in February 1991.

In September 1996, Guaranty Trust Bank plc became a publicly quoted company and won the Nigerian Stock Exchange President's Merit award that same year and again in the years 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006.

The Bank has since opened offshore branches in Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the United Kingdom.

In maintaining its culture of excellence, the bank has sponsored many social responsibility initiatives such as Adopt-A-School programmes.

In celebration of the innovative and pioneering spirit of Guaranty Trust Bank, Alder proposed the development of the first corporate postage stamps in Nigeria.

The use of postage stamps was fortuitous, because the word “postage” is an agglutination of two words “Post” and “Age”.

At 20, Guaranty Trust Bank has come of age. The postage stamp therefore commemorate the “postage era” of the Bank.

Letters in whatever form are expressions of the aspirations of the heart. Therefore, as people stick the Guaranty Trust Bank stamps on their letters, they are reaffirming the status of the brand as an aspirational brand.

The corporate stamps feature GTBank’s brand images and message.

They are also distributed locally and internationally and have become a collector’s item.

Designs and applications for the stamps, including a possible use for the Bank’s corporate annual report cover design were done.

Alder Consulting then negotiated with the Nigerian Postal Service through the Nigerian Philatelic Society.

On the 14th of July, 2010, a press conference was held at the head office of the Bank to officially launch the commemorative stamp.

In attendance were the Deputy Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, the Head of Corporate Affairs of Guaranty Trust Bank, a representative of the Nigerian Post Master General and the Head of the Philatelic Society of Nigeria.

The stamps are now in circulation and at the bank’s 20th anniversary dinner, a collector’s edition of the stamps was given out to guests.