The VP Bank action pyramid

The vision of VP Bank expresses how the Bank wishes to be per­ceived in the future. The vision is extremely relevant to the strategic planning as it establishes the guidelines and defines the line of approach. It also serves to bind employees emotionally to an aspiration and thereby heightens their identification with the Bank, as well as their motivation and willingness to adapt.

The values of VP Bank have remained unchanged for more than a decade. They are incorporated in the MbO process (see below). Each year, all employees of VP Bank are assessed by their super­- visor as to whether and how well they have specifically upheld and personified these values.

“Management by Objectives” (MbO) is an essential means of steering VP Bank Group. The annually recurring processes associated with MbO ensure that the goals management has set for the following year are systematically broken down into specific objectives, and that the responsibility for achieving them is allocated across all levels. The primary tasks and targets for each employee are subsequently oriented towards the goals defined for their unit and agreed upon in writing. At the end of the MbO period (calendar year), the degree of goal achievement is assessed.

The management imperatives apply to all supervisory staff at VP Bank. In connection with the annual MbO process, employees who play a management role are assessed additionally for their fulfilment of these imperatives.

The brand promise embraces all expectations that the entire spectrum of our stakeholders could have when they contemplate the VP Bank brand. The promise provides insight into the identity and brand positioning of VP Bank. To ensure that this promise can be fulfilled credibly, it is embodied in all of the Bank’s activities.

Based on its brand promise, VP Bank has developed its brand profile. It serves to influence the image (outside perception) in keeping with the identity. This occurs through ongoing repetition and the personi­fication of VP Bank’s brand identity in all channels of communication with the public. 

The claim condenses the brand promise into two compelling words. It reflects the company’s way of thinking and differentiates from the competition.

As of 2014, this claim will appear below VP Bank’s logo in an array of advertising measures.

In 2003, VP Bank made a radical change to its appearance in the public eye. Since then, it stands out as a modern, dynamic Bank with an unusual corporate design that clearly distinguishes it from the competition. The result: VP Bank has been given a unique, unmistakable and striking appearance. In accomplishing that, VP Bank intentionally “borrows” elements from other areas of business and private life and plays with contrasts that give the Bank an air of unusualness. For example, the reception hall at VP Bank in Vaduz looks more like the lobby of a designer hotel than the teller hall of a typical bank. 

In 2011, VP Bank’s Board of Directors decided to professionalise the company’s brand management. Moreover, the executive changes made in the past year led to a total re-examination of the action pyramid – from the vision, all the way down to the annual planning. In several workshops with Group Executive Management, the elements of a new vision and new guiding principles were defined and interwoven with each other. In August 2013, the new action pyramid was approved by the Board of Directors and presented to all employees. Our external stakeholders will also be informed of these developments in March 2014. The Group Communications & Marketing unit has been commissioned to develop all measures necessary for anchoring this new action pyramid both internally and externally.